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Photographic 

Sciences 

Corporation 


23  WEST  MAIN  STREET 

WEBSTER,  N.Y.  14580 

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Microfiche 

Series, 


CIHIVI/ICMH 
Collection  de 
microfiches. 


Canadian  Institute  for  Historical  Microreprodjctions  /  institut  Canadian  de  nritcroreproductions  hi^toriquet 


Technical  and  Bibliographic  Notes/Notes  techniques  et  bibliographiques 


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I 


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method: 


Les  cartes,  planches,  tableaux,  etc..  peuvent  dtre 
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Lorsque  le  document  est  trop  grand  pour  dtre 
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et  dc  haut  en  bas.  en  prenant  le  nombre 
d'images  ndcessaire.  Les  diagrammes  suivants 
lllustrent  la  mdthode. 


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re. 


] 


1 

2 

3 

1 

2 

3 

4 

5 

6 

Young  I'erry   with  his  father  on  board  the  Gentril  Greene. 

\3CC  page  15.) 


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ill. 


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iil 


"IPM* 


THE    HERO   OF   ERIE 

(OLIVER  HAZARD   PERRY) 


BT 


JAMES  BARNES 

AUTHOR    OP    COMMODORE    BAINBRIDGR, 

MIDSHIPMAN  FARRAGUT,  NAVAL  ACTIONS 

OF  THB  WAR  OF   l8l2,   ETC. 


ILLUSTfATED 


NEW  YORK 

D.   APPLETON  AND  COMPANY 

1898 


«■» 


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.1  _ 


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CoFVmcirr,  1898, 
By  D.  APPLETON  AND   COMPANY. 


rH^COFiESRECEiVtO. 


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J^fl'.  "^'sS^ 


X 


CHAmR 

I. — Wherein  Oliver  learns  what  his  fathf.r  did 

II. — The  midshipman 

III. — The  fire-ship 

IV. — On  the  lakes 
V. — The  young  commander 

VI.— The  flagship 
VII.— The  battle    . 
VIII. — Without  fear  or  favor 

IX. — A  sailor  on  horseback 
X. — After  the  victory 

XL— At  Newport  station 
XII. — Off  to  the  south 
XIII.— At  Baltimore 
XIV, — Defending  the  city 

XV. — A  rescue 
XVL— The  bitter  end    . 


rACB 

I 

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2a 

39 
40 
50 
61 
7a 
90 
105 
114 

laa 

138 

136 
148 
156 


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/*■,. 


'■;■ 

HHhHMh  '« 

LIST  OF  FULL-PAGE  ILLUSTRATIONS. 

'^'■im 

/*■> 


PACING 

rAO« 
Young  Perry  with  his  father  on  board  the 

General  Greene        .        .        .        .        .        .         Frattth^itct 

The  midnight  surprise  of  the  Detroit 35. 

"Ready!    AH  ready,  your  honor!" 43 

The  battle  on  Lake  Erie 59 

"If  a  victory  is  to  be  gained,  I'll  gain  it"  .  .69 

The  Niagara's  advance  .        .        .  75 

The  smaller  vessels  coming  into  action        .        .        .        ,        .80 

Perry's  victory         .        . 87 

The  battle  of  the  Thames 103 

Commodore  Oliver  Hazard  Perry,  U.  S.  N 156 


Note. — The  piibluhen  wt>h  to  acknowledgie  the  courtesy  of 
Charle*  T,  Harbeck,  Esq.,  whote  collection  has  supplied 
the  old  engraving*  reproduced  in  this  volume.  The  dia- 
grams in  the  text  are  from  A  Kiitory  t/tkt  Vnittd  Statu 
Navy,  1775-1898,  by  Edgar  Stanton  Maclay,  A.  M. 

Vli 


t^),ll|]Hi|»W|IH»   II 


' 


/ 


THE  HERO  OF  ERIE. 


CHAPTER  I. 

WHEREIN    OLIVER    LEARNS   WHAT    HIS   FATHER    DID. 

Captain  Christopher  Raymond  Pf:rry  had  just 
returned  home  from  a  long  voyage  to  the  East  Indies. 
It  was  the  year  1705.  Since  his  marriage,  twelve  years 
previously,  he  had  been  making  long  voyages,  and 
spending  but  little  time  with  his  kmily.  But  this  is 
what  a  sailor's  family  have  to  become  used  to.  His 
comings  and  goings,  like  his  life  when  afloat,  were 
uncertain;  sometimes  months  and  months  would  go 
.  by  without  the  eager  ones  at  home  receiving  a  word 
from  the  beloved  parent  or  brother,  and  then  suddenly 
his  ship  would  come  into  port,  and  befor-  vord  could 
be  sent  ahead  of  him  he  would  drop  int  ^  the  home 
circle  as  suddenly  as  if  he  had  descended  from  the 
skies. 

Mrs.  Perrj'  hr^d  known  that  her  husband  was  on 
the  seas  returning,  and  perhaps  it  was  her  prayers  that 
gave  the  vessel  fair  winds  and  pleasant  weather.     A 


mm 


ftS* 


Wipwi Wmi I ■  iiMM .n  I .1^.11  >.mir,'<tmttL-g:'''-ie«r:*^^w. i W'i»-i!>w.-«ft-  \ 


» 


THE   HERO   OF   ERIE. 


sailor  has  a  way  of  expressing  this  when  on  a  hume- 
ward  voyage;  if  everything  is  going  finely,  he  sajs: 
"  The  girls  at  home,  sweethearts  and  wives,  must  have 
hold  of  our  towline."     And  many  times  had  Captain 
Perry  made  this  observation  to  himself,  for  he  had 
sighted  Block  Island,  bound  into  Providence,  almost 
a  fortnight   before   he   had   expected   to   in   the   due 
course  of  events.     The  moon  rose  early  at  this  time 
of  the  month,  and  in  its  bright  rays  he  had  crept  past 
Poj  .t  Judith  and  the  Island  of  Canonicut,  and  had 
dropped  his  anchor  before  midnight  well  up  the  har- 
bor.     Mrs.  Perry,  who  lived  in  the  town  of  South 
Kingston,  had  been  awakened  by  a  knocking  on  the 
door,  and,  wondering  what  the  message  could  be,  had 
gone  down  to  open  it.     She  had  seen  a  figure  stand- 
ing there,  and  with  a  cry  of  joy  she  had  found  her- 
self in  her  husband's  arms.     The  children  did  not 
know  that  a  great,  strong  man,  whose  eyes  had  filled 
with  tears,  had  looked  down  upon  them  that  night  as 
they  lay  asleep;    but  early  in  the  morning  the  news 
had    spread    about   the    house,    the    welcome,    joyful 
words.  "  Father  has  come  home  from  sea!  '      When 
they  came  down  to  breakfast  they  felt  a  little  strange 
and  half  frightened,  for  their  parent's  stay  was  never 
long,  and  sometimes  the  tones  of  his  voice,  and  even 
his  appearance,  had  almost  faded  from     ,ieir  minds. 
Soon  after  the  morning  meal,  which  the  young  ones 
ate  in  rather  a  constrained  silence.  Captain  Perry  h.ad 


*<»-*-Wtf»-i*#fl-(j^_j«jf( 


*,• 


OLIVEiv   LEARNS  WHAT   HIS  FATHER   DID.     3 


'.ad 


to  leave  again  to  superintend  the  unloading  of  his 
ship. 

But  the  next  day  being  Sunday,  he  spent  it  with 
them,  and  late  in  the  afternoon  he  had  called  to  his 
oldest  boy,  Oliver,  and  hand  in  hand  they  had  walked 
through  the  orchard  and  the  lower  meadow  until  they 
had  reached  a  place  where  two  large  maples  threw  a 
grateful  shade  upon  the  grass. 

Captain  Perry  seated  himself,  and  leaned  back 
against  the  trunk  of  one  of  the  trees  and  drew  a  long 
breath  of  pure  contentment.  What  man  could  be  hap- 
pier? He  had  finished  a  ouccessful  voyage.  He  had 
found  his  family  all  alive  and  well  He  was  young,  not 
even  yet  in  what  people  term  '  the  prime  of  life."  He 
looked  down  at  the  peaceful  river,  and  dropped  his 
head  forward  on  his  chest;  far  away  he  could  just  see 
the  masts  of  his  vessel  lying  safe  at  anchor.  He  listened 
to  the  humming  of  the  bees  and  the  murmur  of  the 
insectf,  and  to  the  gentle  rustle  of  the  leaves  above 
his  head,  and  no  wonder  he  felt  contented.  No  wonder 
he  closed  his  eyes  and  drew  again  a  thankful,  heart- 
felt breath.  Suddenly  the  little  boy  who  had  nestled 
by  his  knee,  and  who  had  been  rather  shy  at  first,  in- 
terrupted his  thoughts. 

"  Father,"  he  said,  looking  up  with  great  round 
eyes  into  his  parent's  face,  "  tell  me  a  story." 

Nov/,  to  a  man  in  a  happy  frame  of  mind  there  is 
no  such  pleasant  task  as  to  tell  stories  to  a  young 


L 


Z  ;' " '-"     f p>P(|f i|PMt!IIMll|iM 


mmmmmim 


THE  HERO  OF   ERIE. 


and  appreciative  listener;  and  if  the  listener  happens 
to  be  a  child  of  his  own,  surely  the  pleasure  is  more 
than  doubled,  and  the  story  can  not  fail  to  be  of  in- 
terest. There  was  evidence  of  that  in  the  very  attitude 
of  this  expectant  audience  of  one.  He  had  clasped 
both  hands  upon  his  parent's  knee,  and  had  rested  his 
round  chin  upon  them,  and  the  father  looked  down 
on  the  boy's  face  and  smiled.  He  felt  hispiration  grow- 
ing within  him.  Some  day  perhaps  this  boy  would 
be  telHng  stories  in  his  turn,  and  so  he  began: 

"  How  old  are  you,  Oliver,  my  son?  " 

"  Ten  my  last  birthday,  father." 

"Well,  then,  I'll  begin  when  I  was  your, age.  I 
wasn't  quite  so  tall  as  you  are  now,  but  I  was  very 
strong " 

"I'm  not  very  strong,"  put  in  Oliver,  in  a  sad, 
apologetic  little  tone. 

"Never  mrnd  that,  son,"  went  on  his  father, 
"you've  grown  so  fast;  why,  you're  a  half  head  taller 
than  most  boys  of  your  age,  and  you'll  grow  up  to 
your  strength,  too;  and  now  I'll  go  on  with  the  stoiy: 
I  lived  here  in  the  same  house  where  you  live  now.  I 
went  to  the  schoolhouse  that  you  go  to,  and  old  Mr. 
Judson,  whom  you  often  see  in  his  big  white  wig  and 
snuffy  coat  on  the  streets,  was  my  schoolmaster. 
Things  are  very  little  changed;  I  could  almost  im- 
agine, as  I  look  about  me,  that  I  am  your  age  again. 
These  trees  were  not  quite  so  tall  as  they  are  now,  and 


m 


OLIVER  LEARNS  WHAT   HIS   FATHER  DID.    s 

there  are  a  few  new  houses  on  the  hillside,  and  the 
meeting-house  has  a  new  steeple,  but,  as  I  say,  all  is 
about  the  same.  I  played  the  same  games  that 
you  do;  I  set  traps  for  squirrels  and  woodchucks,  and 
I  gathered  birds'  nests  in  the  spring  and  chestnuts  in 
the  fall,  and  fought  snowball  fights  in  the  winter,  and 
so  you  know  by  looking  around  you  what  my  life  was, 
and  how  happy  a  boy  can  be  who  has  little  care  anu 
sorrow.  But  all  this  time  every  one  was  talking  of 
the  troubles  of  the  country,  and  saying  that  it  would 
be  but  a  short  time  before  we  would  be  at  war  with 
England.  The  talk  increased  every  day,  and  the 
troubles  brewed,  uatil  one  morning  the  news  was 
brought  to  us  by  the  postboy  that  the  country  had  risen 
and  that  a  battle  had  been  fought,  and  that  the  war 
was  on.  I  was  but  fifteen  years  old  when  this  took 
place.  I  had  sailed  in  boats  on  the  r!ver,  as  you  do  now 
with'  your  companions,  and  I  had  made  one  or  two 
little  voyages  out  on  the  sound,  and  so  I  be;ame  filled 
with  the  idea  that  I  must  be  a  sailor,  and  that  the 
country  was  in  great  need  of  my  services  as  such. 
For  a  long  time  my  family  would  not  hear  of  it — 
imagine  how  your  mother  would  hate  to  see  you  leave 
her — but  at  last,  when  the  war  was  on  about  a  year, 
I  obtained  their  permission  to  leave  home,  and  em- 
barked as  cabin  boy  on  board  a  privateer  commanded 
by  Captain  Reed.  The  life  of  a  sailor  is  a  hard  one 
at  the  best;  perhaps  no  man  works  harder  and  has 


J* 


■'  "■»»»"■" 


"T? 


mmmm^rm^ 


THE   HERO   OF  ERIE. 


L 


fewer  comforts.  He  must  be  ready  at  all  times  to  tum- 
ble out  of  his  cozy  hammock  and  go  on  the  wet,  slippery 
deck,  or  he  must  climb  aloft  in  the  cold,  cutting  snow- 
storm, to  help  furl  sail.  He  must  be  ready  to  fight 
when  called  upon,  and  he  must  be  obedient  to  orders, 
always  alert  and  vigorous.  As  the  old  song  goes,  '  he 
must  be  all  of  one  part  with  his  ship.'  Some  lads 
take  naturally  to  this  sort  of  life,  and  perhaps  without 
boasting  I  may  say  that  I  did.  I  thrived  in  the  rough 
life,  and  when  I  returned  after  my  first  voyage  my 
folks  scarcely  knew  me,  I  had  grown  so  brown  and 
strong." 

The  boy,  whose  grasp  had  tightened  on  his  father's 
knee,  winced  a  little,  and  Captain  Perry,  who  had  not 
noticed  this,  once  more  drew  a  long  breath,  looked 
up  to  the  peaceful  branches  of  the  tree  above  his  head, 
and  out  once  more  on  to  the  shimmering  reaches  of 
the  river.  He  paused  for  a  few  minutes,  and  mayhap 
his  thoughts  wandered  back  more  vividly  to  the  stir- 
ring days  of  twenty  years  before.  But  the  boy  never 
took  his  eyes  oflf  his  father's  face.  In  his  mind  a 
firm  resolve  was  growing.  In  that  flash  of  time  he 
decided  for  himself,  as  many  a  youngster  has  upon  an 
instant  decided  his  future  and  lived  to  round  it  out. 

"  Go  on,  father,"  he  said  quietly;  "  pray  don't 
stop." 

Captain  Perry  placed  his  hands  on  the  boy's  head, 
and  took  up  his  tale  again.    He  went  on  to  tell  of  how 


OLIVER  LEARNS  WHAT   HIS  FATHER  DID.     7 

he  had  volunteered  upon  the  pubhc  vessel  of  war 
Trumbull,  and  how  he  had  fought  on  her  until  he 
had  gained  command  of  one  of  the  broadside  guns, 
and  how,  after  this  voyage  he  had  volunteered  on 
board  the  sloop-of-war  Mifflin,  commanded  by  Captain 
Babcock,  and  how  he  was  taken  prisoner  when  she 
was  captured  by  the  finemy,  and  confined  on  board  the 
dreadful  prison  ship  Jersey.  He  told  of  the  horrible 
sufferings;  of  the  starvation  and  disease  that  carried 
ofT  the  prisoners  by  the  score;  of  how  at  one  time  a 
boat  would  come  twice  a  day  to  take  away  the  dead. 
He  told  how  he  had  seen  strong  men  waste  away  to 
living  skeletons  and  wish  to  die.  When  he  came  to 
the  part  of  his  narrative  in  which  he  related  how  again 
and  again  he  planned  to  escape,  and  how  at  last  the 
dreadful  prison  fever  laid  hold  of  him,  the  boy  began 
to  gasp,  and  the  father  paused,  then  hurried  on  the 
telling.  When  he  came  to  the  part  that  told  of  his 
liberation,  little  Oliver  sighed  with  relief,  and  so  the 
tale  proceeded.  Captain  Perry  in  graphic  words  de- 
scribed how  he  had  again  taken  service  on  board  a 
private  armed  brig  commanded  by  Captain  Rathbone, 
and  had  cruised  on  a  voyage  full  of  excitement,  straight 
into  the  English  Channel.  He^e  again  he  had  been 
taken  prisoner,  and  for  eighteen  montlis  was  confined 
in  a  British  prison.  When  he  related  his  thrilling 
escape  from  this,  Oliver  was  panting  and  almost  trem- 
bling with  excitement.    Closely  he  followed  the  rest  of 


t 

1:^ 


mmfmimm' 


fWMIM 


;  i- 


THE  HERO  OF  ERIE. 


the  story— how  his  father  had,  after  a  Hfe  of  vicissitude 
in  London,  managed  to  ship  aboard  an  English  vessel 
bound  for  the  island  of  St.  Thomas,  whence  he  had 
made  his  way  to  Charleston,  South  Carolina,  and 
there  soon  learned  that  peace  had  been  declared.  This 
same  year  he  had  made  a  voyage  to  Scotland,  and  re- 
turned as  mate  of  the  vessel. 

"And  who  do  you  suppose  was  on  that  voyage 
with  me,  Oliver?  "  he  asked. 

"I  know,"  the  boy  put  in;  "mother  was.  She 
told  us  all  about  it  once." 

Captain  Perry  again  drew  a  long  breath.  "  She 
was  indeed,  my  son,"  he  said.  "  It  was  there  I  met 
her,  and  it  was  the  luckiest  voyage  of  all  my  life,  and 
the  luckiest  voyage  I  shall  ever  make." 

It  was  so  dark  by  this  time  that  lights  had  begun 
to  twinkle  in  the  windows  of  the  farmhouses  across 
the  river.  The  captain  drew  his  great  watch  out  of 
his  pocket.  "  Whew!  "  he  whistled,  imitating  the  boat- 
swain's call,  "pipe  down  all  hands!  Mother  must  be 
wondering  what  has  become  of  us.  Come,  my  lad, 
let's  have  a  run  back  to  the  house.  Ahead  with  you, 
and  see  what  your  legs  are  good  for."  They  struck 
into  ?.  dog-trot,  hand  in  hand,  and  every  turn  in 
the  path  the  captain  would  sing  out,  "  Hard  astar- 
board  now!"  or  "Hard  aport!"  as  the  case  might 
be,  until  at  last  they  dropped  anchor  on  the  door- 
step,   and    announced    their    arrival    with    a     hail. 


I 


rr??-rscaK?rsr 


?<^  j'„«wia.';M»s«"j'jijiii.  tiiii^a 


OLIVER  LEARNS  WHAT   HIS  FATHER   DID.    9 

"  Supper  ahoy,  there! "  and  a  rush  into  the  dining 
room. 

Mrs.  Perry  was  unpacking  the  box  containing  the 
wonderful  East  Indian  shawls  and  some  odds  and 
eftds  of  trinkets  the  captain  always  brought  back  with 
him  from  his  voyages;  and  then  Oliver  boldly  spoke 
out  his  thoughts:  "  Mother,"  said  he,  with  his  cheek 
against  her  shoulder,  "  some  day  I'm  going  to  be  a 
sailor  " — he  paused — "  like  father,"  he  added. 

Then,  Oliver,"  returned  Mrs.  Perry,  glancing  at 
her  husband,  "  you  will  have  to  be  a  very  good  one." 

Like  every  boy  whose  head  is  full  of  but  one  idea, 
the  lad  could  dream  of  nothing  that  night  but  ships  and 
the  sea;  and  when  the  next  day  he  accompanied  his 
father  down  to  the  vessel  he  tried  to  imagine  him- 
self in  command  of  her,  and  grew  quite  excited  as 
his  mind  suggested  fights  and  adventures. 


1 


f^^t-;-;,  -li^r-"- 


|iiuiL„!.iiii4'i'j'nn""««jippw",'   ..   jmm^immiimiiiK^^ 


CHAPTER  II. 


THE  MIDSHIPMAN. 


Before  Captain  Perry  had  sailed  away  he  had 
promised  Oliver  to  do  everything  in  his  power  to  se- 
cure for  him  an  appointment  in  the  navy.  The  naval 
force  at  this  time  belongirig  to  the  United  States  was 
practically  nothing.  We  possessed  no  first-class  ship, 
and  hardly  a  vessel  in  commission  was  kept  in  prop- 
er shape.  There  were  a  few  gunboats  in  some  of 
the  ports,  useless  vessels,  take  it  altogether,  and  the 
finances  of  the  Naval  Department  were  at  low  ebb. 
Oliver  went  to  school  at  Newport.  He  had  become 
a  boy  of  but  one  idea.  Maybe  the  love  of  the  sea  was 
in  his  blood,  for  such  things  are  sometimes  an  inherit- 
ance. At  all  events,  he  dreamed  of  it  and  thought  of 
it,  and  read  all  the  books  that  he  could  possibly  lay 
hand  to  that  dealt  with  seafaring  life.  He  would  spend 
his  spare  hours  along  the  water  front,  and  with  the 
assistance  of  an  old  sailor  he  began  the  construction 
of  a  miniature  full-rigged  ship. 

Every  time  his  father  returned  from  his  voyages 
during  the  next  few  years  he  found  his  son  still  grow- 
ing, and  still  in  the  same  settled  purpose — that  of  fol- 
io 


"r^r-:!^ 


~?c--A;^^^f«¥» 


^'e*'i*5tfeiir^Hj?'t  "Ut^mtis-'isif^-^jss^ 


illililliilii 


THE   MIDSHIPMAN. 


II 


lowing  in  his  footsteps.  And  now  a  great  change 
took  place  in  Captain  Perry's  life.  Early  in  the  year 
1798  Captain  Perry  left  the  merchant  service  and 
accepted  the  cominand  of  the  TInited  States  rigate 
General  Greene,  and  upon  his  ijtvirn  from  his  first 
cruise  he  secured  the  appointment  so  long  wished 
for,  and  returned  home  in  April,  1799,  for  a  short  stay. 
When  he  joined  his  ship,  young  Oliver  Hazard  Perry, 
dresseo  in  a  new  midshipman's  uniform,  was  with  him. 
Some  people  •  jight  have  considered  it  a  drawback 
for  a  lad  to  have  commenced  his  career  by  serving  in 
the  same  vessel  his  father  commanded,  but  Oliver  was 
a  boy  of  too  much  individuality  either  to  be  hindered 
by  this  connection  or  to  take  advantage  of  it.  He 
took  his  place  among  the  other  midshipmen  naturally 
and  without  assumption.  He  worked  hard  and  dili- 
gently at  his  studies,  and  soon  became  the  leader  in 
the  steerage  so  far  as  mathematics  was  concerned. 
Now,  if  a  boy  supposes  that  by  leaving  school  and 
going  to  sea  he  is  going  to  escape  the  drudgery  of 
study  and  the  dry  pc»ring  over  dull  facts  and  figures, 
he  is  mistaken.  All  the  work  that  he  has  done  here- 
tofore will  be  found  to  be  nothing  when  compared  with 
that  which  he  has  to  go  through  with  in  the  ser/ice 
— that  is,  of  course,  ii'  he  wishes  to  become  an  oflicer 
and  earn  the  attention  and  respect  of  superiors  and 
inferiors  alike. 

The  General  Greene  had  set  sail  at  once  for  the 


3 


,3 


X. 


iil^PPWIIiipWIWilfPIPpiWp'P^^ 


I* 


THE   HERO   OF   ERIE. 


Havana  station,  and,  in  a  short  cruise  of  three  months 
in  those  waters,  convoyed  more  than  fifty  merchant 
vessels  to  different  ports  of  the  United  States.  She 
would  probably  have  stayed  longer  hau  it  not  been  that 
a  contagious  fever  broke  out  in  the  forecastle,  and 
she  was  ordered  home  to  spend  a  long  time  in  quar- 
antine. 

Midshipman  Perry  had  now  begun  to  grow  up  to 
his  height,  his  muscles  were  becoming  developed  and 
hard,  his  shoulders  and  chest  had  broadened,  and  his 
face  had  become  fuller;  altogether  he  was  a  very  dif- 
ferent-looking lad  before  the  end  of  the  year  was  out, 
and  all  this  his  father  noticed  with  satisfaction.  Every 
morning  before  breakfast  on  board  the  General  Greene 
the  midshipmen  were  sent  in  a  scamper  up  the  shrouds 
to  the  maintop,  and  down  again  the  other  side,  and 
this  was  twice  repeated.  Any  one  who  might  consider 
this  light  exercise  had  best  try  it  for  himself.  It  was 
not  long  before  Midshipman  Perry  was  a  leader  in 
this  sport,  as  well  as  in  the  study  of  navigation  and 
the  languages. 

Although  Captain  Perry  saw  no  more  of  his  son 
than  he  did  of  the  other  midshipmen,  he  was  delighted 
and  proud.  He  perceived  that  there  was  the  making 
of  an  officer  in  his  boy,  and  often  his  eye  glistened 
when  the  junior  officers  spoke  well  of  Oliver.  As 
for  the  midshipman  himself,  his  admiration  and  love 
for  his  father  grew  and  expanded  daily,  and  he  be- 


jHiii^i^'{»i!.j)i^>H-»«j#wt)iMaie<«<!«^ 


,]i!iiiii-,kiiijjj),*wtia'uiuwaimifejjjim»'"<^ 


lieved  firmly  that  with  him  in  command  nothing  could 
go  wrong,  no  enemy  would  ever  be  able  to  take  the 
ship,  no  storm  would  battle  her,  no  misfortune  over- 
come her. 

A  little  incident  that  occurred  while  the  General 
Greene  was  still  cruising  in  the  Gulf  is  well  worth  men- 
tioning, because  it  shows  so  plainly  the  independence 
and  the  boldness  of  spirit  that  the  early  Yankee  cap- 
tains seemed  to  possess.     One  bright  t    /,  while  on  a 
voyage  from  New  Orleans  to  Havana,  with  a  large 
merchant  brig  under  convoy,  a  great  sail  well  up  to 
windward  was  seen  bearing  down,  and  soon  it  was  made 
out  that  the  stranger  was  a  British  seventy-four.    The 
brig  was  also  to  windward  of  the  General  Greene,  and 
thus  the  British  battle  ship  approached  her  first.     She 
was  a  faster  sailer  than  either  of  the  American  vessels, 
and,  although  the  words  could  not  be  heard,  it  was 
evident  to  all  on  board  the  General  Greene  that  the 
stranger  was  hailing  the  brig,  who  edged  off  a  little 
without  replying.     Probably   angered   at   being   thus 
ignored,  the  English  captain  fired  a  gun  across  the 
smaller  vessel's  bows,  but  no  attention  was  paid  to  this, 
and  both  Yankee  ships  sailed  on,  minding  their  own 
business  and  betraying  not  the  least  flurry  of  excite- 
ment.    Quietly  the  crew  of  the  frigate  was  called  to 
quarters,  for  it  was  made  out  that  the  Englishman  was 
up  to  some  trickery.     Forging  ahead  of  the  brig  once 
more,  he  dropped  a  boat  without   heaving  to,   and 


m 


fii'ittpv^ipmi!^ 


14 


THE   HERO   OF   ERIE. 


an  armed  crew  slipped  down  into  her,  but  soon  after 
they  had  taken  up  their  oars,  and  before  they  reached 
the  Httle  vessel's  side,  Captain  Perry  had  given  a  few 
instructions  to  one  of  the  gunners  of  the  first  division 
on  tJie  spar  deck  to  bring  his  piece  to  bear  upon  the 
boat. 

"  Handsomely,  now,  my  man,'  said  Captain  Perry, 
"  and  see  if  you  can  make  a  good  shot  of  it." 

"  Am  I  to  try  to  hit  her,  sir? "  asked  the  gunner, 
a  little  astonished. 

"  If  you  can,"  answered  the  captain  laconically. 

What  would  have  happened  if  that  shot  had  struck 
the  small  boat  it  tr.ight  be  hard  to  say;  as  it  was,  it 
slammed  into  the  water  but  a  few  feet  astern  of  her, 
and  deluged  the  men  in  the  stem  sheets  with  a  shower 
of  spray.  The  men  at  the  oars  apparently  did  not 
like  the  idea  of  becoming  a  target,  and  stopped  rowing. 
Their  boat  drifted  down  with  the  wind  until  it  reached 
the  side  of  the  General  Greene,  but  the  seventy-four  had 
begun  to  act  like  a  very  angry  mother  hen  whose  one 
chick  had  been  disturbed  and  frightened.  Her  yards 
swung  around  with  a  clatter,  and  bristling  and  bustling 
she  boke  down  upon  the  little  frigate.  Then  she  swung 
about  so  as  almost  to  blanket  her,  and  an  officer  on 
the  quarter-deck  of  the  Englishman  appeared  at  the 
rail,  trumpet  in  hand,  and  hailed  angrily: 

"What  ship  is  that?" 

"The  United  States  frigate  General  Greene." 


"K^fetii'!' 


'';IV^ig.JL!^■M.^rerCT,>'^^gi^^'■iaiWISl'aifo1^SK?s^^ 


••fi^^sm^ttmiaim. 


'mwi,  ^■ 


i^T^Y  Ftr-Ti^j?r~-  " 


THE   MIDSHIPMAN. 


-  -Twtw^— ji'iljf^-pp'w'^Sf^^T"''^"''^' 


»5 


"  Why  did  you  fire  at  my  boat  just  now?  " 

"  To  prevent  her  boarding  that  brig.  She  is  under 
my  protection,  sir." 

The  Englishman's  irritated  outburst  in  reply  to  this 
caused  the  ofticers  on  the  General  Greene's  quarter- 
decK  to  smile,  despite  the  rather  serious  aspect  of 
affairs. 

"  It  is  a  strange  thing,"  roared  the  British  captain, 
"  if  one  of  his  Majesty's  sevcnty-iour-gun  ships  can 
not  examine  a  merchant  brig." 

C-^ptain  Perry  hailed  back  through  his  own  trum- 
pet a  reply  to  this:  ^ 

"  If  she  carried  one  hundred  and  tw  ;nfy  guns  she 
should  not  do  it  to  the  dishonor  of  my  flag." 

A  consultation  was  held  on  the  Englishman's  decks, 
and  then  the  captain  came  to  the  rail  again. 

"  Pardon  me  for  having  been  apparently  hasty," 
he  said,  "  but  have  you  any  objection  to  my  boarding 
the  brig?" 

Captain  Perry  looked  out  across  the  water  for 
an  instant,  and  then  responded  in  tones  quite  as 
polite: 

"  If  her  captain  has  no  objections,  I  have  none," 
he  responded.    "  You  had  better  ask  him,  sir." 

"  Thank  you,  sir,"  answered  the  British  captain. 

"  Good-day  to  you,  sir." 

*'  Good-day,  sir." 

And  now  the  Yankee  officers  could  not  keep  from 


mp* 


H^ 


,^1 


laughing.  During  all  this  talk  the  little  brig  had  been 
tnaking  short  tacks  and  beating  up  into  the  wind, 
until  she  had  so  well  gained  the  weather  gauge  that  it 
would  take  the  Englishman  full  half  a  day,  despite  his 
speed,  to  be  on  even  terms  again.  As  soon  as  he  had 
perceived  what  had  happened,  as  if  deciding  that  the 
game  was  not  worth  the  candle,  he  gave  it  up,  and 
bore  away  to  the  southward  before  the  wind.  Very 
soon  the  brig  and  the  frigate  joined  compar  j/  again, 
and  without  any  further  adventures  they  reached  their 
destination. 

In  the  year  1800,  with  the  same  officers  and  the 
same  crew,  the  General  Greene  was  dispatched  to 
cruise  in  the  waters  surrounding  the  island  of  Haiti, 
and  here  the  midshipmen  had  an  opportunity  to  see 
a  little  fighting,  for  oflf  the  port  of  Jacmel  the  General 
Greene  dropped  anchor.  The  inhabitants  of  the  island 
were  then  in  revolt,  and  were  under  the  leadership  of 
the  celebrated  negro  general,  Toussaint  I'Ouverture. 
As  the  United  States  had  for  some  years  been  upon 
bad  terras  with  France,  and  as  the  independence  of 
the  island  was  considered  to  be  more  promising  to 
American  commerce,  the  General  Greene  assisted  in  the 
reduction  of  the  fort,  and  after  blockading  the  port 
for  some  time  sue  joined  with  h  .•  batteries  in  an  en- 
gagement which  resulted  in  the  evacuation  of  the  town 
by  the  enemy,  and  the  surrender  of  the  fortress  and 
garrison  eventually. 


',:Af=iib»MWm^*ssi^i'm^im«mj^!^^!^smaemamm^imtiit 


MMMN 


THE  MIDSHIPMAN. 


«7 


The  General  Greene  suflfered  but  little  in  the  actio.i, 
and  no  lives  were  lost. 

Oliver  and  his  father  did  not  part  until  the  fol- 
lowing year,  1801,  when  the  naval  force  of  the  nation 
was  reduced  again  to  almost  nothing.  In  the  fall  of 
this  year  the  corsairs  of  Tripoli  commenced  such 
depredations  upon  American  commerce  t)-at  it  was 
deemed  necessary  to  send  three  frigates  and  a  sloop 
of  war  to  the  Mediterranean  at  once.  Young  Perry 
was  attached  to  the  Adams  frigate,  under  the  command 
of  Captain  Campbell.  So  successful  was  this  little 
fleet  that  the  pirates  were  driven  practically  from  the 
Mediterranean  waters  to  the  protection  of  their  ports, 
and  thousands  upon  thousands  of  dollars  were  saved 
to  American  commerce. 

In  1803  Perry  returned  to  the  United  States.  He 
was  now  an  acting  lieutenant  at  the  age  of  eighteen, 
but  age  counted  little  in  these  days  when  the  country 
itself  was  young.  Experience,  coolness  of  judgment, 
and  bravery  were  qualifications  that  ofTset  those  of 
extreme  youth.  It  was  the  era  of  young  men — ^young 
men  in  politics,  young  men  in  business  life,  and  young 
men  in  the  service  of  their  country,  who  builded  its 
glories  and  successes  into  a  monument  of  the  times 
emblazoned  with  the  records  of  brave  deeds  not  to  be 
forgotten  while  the  nation  is  a  nation,  and  the  flag 
they  fought  for  floats  above  us.  It  might  be  well  to 
try  to  understand  the  reasons  why  young  men  should 


■vpffiPiiiiiiiiPi 


■mMP 


i8 


THE   HEPO  OF  ERI^. 


be  placed  in  such  responsible  positions  as  ihey  filled 
in  the  early  part  of  this  century.  In  the  first  place, 
the  !£ck  of  education  among  the  lower  classes  of  the 
people,  from  which  were  drawn  the  ordinary  sailor 
before  the  mast,  was  a  great  drawback  to  advancement 
of  men  from  the  rankc  Probably  the  majority  of 
them  could  read  and  write,  but  a  youth  whose  prepara- 
tion for  service  at  sea  embraced  the  study  of  m-ithe- 
matics  and  navigation,  enabling  him  to  work  a  vessel's 
course,  and  determine  latitude  and  longitude  by  the 
sun  or  any  of  the  heavenly  bodies,  soon  found  him- 
self at  the  head  of  men  whose  experience  afloat  might 
equal  the  sum  of  his  entire  life.  The  early  experience  of 
the  midchipmen  was  of  the  most  practical  kind,  and 
the  officer  of  a  ship,  besides  being  a  navigator,  must 
perforce  be  able  to  understand  and  perform  the  duties 
of  the  commonest  sailor.  Thus  he  gained  their  re- 
spect, an'  cisey  knew  that  they  could  trust  him;  for, 
with  all  his  knowledge  of  things  they  did  not  under- 
stand, he  regarded  things  from  their  point  of  view  also. 
But  to  return  to  our  hero.  In  1804  we  find  him, 
then,  in  the  Mediterranean  under  the  same  commander 
as  before,  and  on  board  one  of  the  frigates  engaged 
in  the  reduction  of  Tripoli.  So  well  had  he  conducted 
himself,  and  such  trust  h?d  Captain  Campbell  found 
him  worthy  of,  that  a  fev/  days  before  his  nineteenth 
birthday  he  was  appointed  to  the  command  of  the 
Nautilus,  a  little  schooner  attached  to  the  squadron, 


-.j;r-i<5  TasrMaa»«*r«i«««i*a-iH£*3»S*«S«8»S®«to  'AB^S^^SSBSsBMSTj  <1»W»)WS»k 


1 


THE   MIDSHIPMAN. 


»9 


and  :n  her  he  had  numerous  adventures  worth  relat- 
ing. To  give  a  recounting  of  all  of  them  would  be 
to  write  a  separate  history  of  the  war  with  Tripoli, 
and  so  we  give  but  a  short  account  of  the  connection 
of  Perry's  command  with  one  of  the  mast  daring  en- 
terprises of  all  naval  history. 

There  was  a  group  of  young  men,  all  junior  officers 
of  the  American  fleet,  scarcely  more  than  boys,  who 
vied  with  each  other  in  deeds  of  daring  and  boldness. 
Probably  rashness  might  be  a  good  word  to  use  in 
connectic"  with  some  of  their  doings,  for  apparently 
they  acted  upon  impulse,  and  counted  no  odds  in  many 
cases  where  older  and  wiser  heads  A\ould  have  dictated 
prudence.  In  the  little  cabin  of  the  Nautilus  were 
gathered  a  group  of  young  men,  all  smooth-shaven, 
ruddy  of  cheek  and  bright  of  eye.  But  a  year  or  two 
previously  they  had  been  rollicking  youngsters  to- 
gether in  the  steerage;  but  now  most  of  them  had 
epaulets  on  their  left  shoulders.  The  tallest  of  theni 
could  scarcely  stand  erect,  so  low  were  the  deck  beams 
overhead.  Perry  was  sitting  at  the  head  of  the  table. 
He  spoke  to  a  slender  lad  with  aquiline  features  and 
light  hair,  who  sat  beside  him  with  his  chin  in  the 
hollow  of  his  hand. 

"  How  far  in  do  you  suppose  we  can  go  before 
discovery,  Somers? "  he  asked. 

"  It  all  depends,"  was  the  answer,  given  in  a  dreamy 
manner,  as  if  the  lad's  thoughts  were  far  away.     "  I'm 


wT. 


w 


ao 


THE   HERO  OF  ERIE. 


going  in  until  I  get  bows  on  to  something  that  will 
stop  me.  Of  course,  you  fellows  won't  go  any  farther 
than  the  mouth  of  the  liarbor.  I  hope  that  the  night's 
dark,  and  the  wind  for  the  nor'west." 

"  Has  tb2  commodore  decided  what  night  we  are 
going  to  try  it?"  put  in  a  handsome  curly-headed 
young  fellow,  placing  his  hand  on  Somers's  shoulder. 

"To-morrow  night,  I  take  it,"  was  the  rejoinder; 
"  we'll  probably  get  our  orders  in  the  morning." 

One  of  the  ship's  messengers  here  appeared  at  the 
door  of  the  cabin.  "  Boat's  alongside,  sir,"  he  said, 
touching  his  cap. 

"  Then  we'd  better  be  going,"  said  Decatur. 

The  young  commander  arose  and  escorted  his 
guests  to  the  deck,  and  they  left  the  side  with  all 
the  usual  ceremonies,  and  shoved  off  into  the  dark- 
ness. But  Perry  stood  there  leaning  against  the  rail 
for  some  minutes  before  going  below.  It  seemed  hard 
to  imagine  that  it  was  but  ten  years  before  that  he 
and  his  father  had  sat  under  the  shade  of  the  maples 
while  he  listened  to  the  tale  that  had  so  thrilled  him. 
He  had  lived  not  a  few  stories  himself  since  that  day, 
and  now  he.e  he  was  in  acting  command  of  his  own 
vessel,  with  responsibilities  upon  his  shoulders,  and 
men  to  jump  at  his  very  gesture  of  cor^mand.  Some- 
how the  expression  on  Somers's  fact  haunled  him — 
the  sad,  dreamy  look,  as  if  he  realized  for  the  first  time 
tuUy  what  was  before  him  on  the  morrow.    He  could 


■t^ia^jajteP^^aife^)a,aaaiatiM»a^^ 


^. 


THE   MIDSHIPMAN. 


tl 


yet  hear  the  roll  of  the  oars,  and  a  laugh  broke  the  still- 
ness, coming  from  the  direction  of  the  parting  boats. 
He  recognized  that  it  was  Lieutenant  Decatur,  and 
then  there  came  another  musical  laugh.  It  was  Richard 
Somers  this  time.  Perry  turned  and  went  down  to 
the  cabin. 


CHAPTER  III. 


THE   FIRE-SHIP. 


Perhaps  no  vessel  ever  bore  a  more  fitting  name 
or  one  more  suited  to  her  calling  than  did  the  bomb- 
ketch  Intrepid.  She  is  inseparably  connected  with  the 
names  of  the  bravest,  and  she  marks  one  of  the  most 
daring  enterprises  of  all  history.* 

The  next  day  after  the  meeting  recorded  in  the 
last  chapter  was  the  4th  of  September.  All  day  long 
boats  v;ere  plying  from  the  flagship  to  and  fro  to  the 
ketch  that  lay  at  her  anchor  well  down  in  the  water, 
for  her  load  was  heavy.  Before  evening  she  had  in 
her  hold  one  hundred  barrels  of  gunpowder  and  one 
hundred  and  fifty  shells  with  fuses  cut  short  to  fire 
within  a  second.  Lieutenant  Henry  Wadsworth  was 
chosen  by  Somers  to  accompar,  him  as  second  in 
command.  Six  men  were  to  come  from  the  Con- 
stitution's crew,  and  four  were  to  be  chosen  from 
the  crew  of  the  Nautilus.  With  the  two  young 
officers   the   crew   thus   numbered   twelve,   and   they 

•  The  reader  may  be  referred  to  another  volume  in  the  Young  Heroes 
of  Our  Navy  series,  entitled  Decatur  and  Somers,  by  Miss  Molly  Elliot 
SeawelL 


,-;i<*-t=4;nr«aM»'M&>*«»«i!!»S*»^''»->a.««'*"^^ 


THE  FIRE-SHIP. 


*J 


were  to  sail  that  powder-laden  vessel  past  the  out- 
side batteries  under  the  mouths  of  the  guns  of  the 
Crescent  fort  and  into  the  Tripolitan  fleet  and  the 
mass  of  tangled  shipping  that  lay  moored  beneath  the 
shadows  of  the  castle.  Perry  stood  beside  Lieutenant 
Somers  when  he  called  for  volunteers  to  accompany 
him.  He  never  could  forget  the  few  calm  words  that 
Somers  used  in  portraying  the  daiigers  to  be  faced; 
and  when  he  had  stopped  and  asked  the  question,  "  Now 
my  lads,  those  who  will  go,  step  one  pace  forward," 
Perry's  heart  gave  a  great  bound,  and  he  commenced 
to  breathe  like  a  runner  calling  upon  his  strength.  Like 
a  regiment  at  drill,  the  ship's  company,  the  whole  sixty- 
two  of  them,  stepped  one  pace  forward,  and  then,  as  if 
anxious  to  keep  in  the  front  rank,  they  came  silently 
elbowing  and  jostling  aft  to  the  mast  where  the  sacred 
I'ne  of  the  quarter-deck  begins.  Somers  knew  every 
man  on  the  Nautilus  by  name.  He  looked  down  the 
line,  and  without  changing  a  muscle  of  his  face  spoke 
quietly,  "  James  Harris."  A  short,  thickset  man,  with 
light  blue  eyes  and  a  heavy,  smooth-shaven  jaw,  steppe.d 
forward  and  touched  his  cap.  "  William  Keith,  James 
Sims,  Thomas  Tompline."  The  three  sailors  men- 
tioned stood  beside  Harris.  They  were  fine  creatures 
to  look  at,  these  hardy,  fearless  tars.  The  rest  of  the 
crew  cast  envious  glances  at  them,  and  went  forward 
to  the  forecastle,  A  fast,  four-oared  boat  was  lowered 
away,  and  the  sailors  and  their  commander  made  off 


f 


94 


THE  HERO  OF   ERIE. 


for  the  ketch.     Soon  after  dusk  sail  was  made,  and 
accompanied   by   the    Nautilus,   the   Argus,   and   the 
Vixen,  the  Intrepid  led  the  way  toward  the  harbor 
mouth.    As  they  reached  it  another  vessel  joined  them. 
It  was  the  Siren,  under  command  of  Lieutenant  Stewart. 
She  ventured  in  farther  than  the  others,  who   soon 
lost  sight  of  the  fire-ship.     Perry  was  standing  near 
Lieutenant   Reed,  leaning  against  the  shrouds,  their 
eyes  paining  them  from  the  strain  of  looking  out  into 
the  darkness,  when   suddenly   there  came  a  glaring 
flash  that  lit  the  shores  so  that  every  minaret  gleamed 
and  every  rope  and  sail  could  be  seen  on  the  vessels 
near  about  them.    A  deafening  roar  followed,  and  then 
all  was  still.    The  shore  battery  that  had  begun  pop- 
ping away  at  Somers's  vessel — for,  alas!  she  had  been 
discovered  very  soon — stopped.     Not  a  sound  was  to 
be  heard,  except  the  voice  of  an  old  sailor  on  the 
forecastle  praying  in  a  fervent  undertone,  and  now  all 
listened — ^listened  as  ears  have  never  listened  before  or 

since. 

"  I  hear  them,  I  hear  the  oars,"  said  a  little  mid- 
shipman, and  all  hands  drew  a  breath. 

But  no,  it  was  merely  the  beating  of  the  water 
against  the  bow;  no  boats  came  speeding  back  to  the 
harbor  mouth.  In  a  few  minutes  it  was  known  that, 
whether  the  enemy  had  been  discomfited  or  not,  the 
brave  lads  in  the  fire-ship  had  met  their  fate.  The 
Constitution  lying  in  the  offing  began  to  fire  minute 


i'^«<»*S*S'/ 


nMH 


BBS:! 


,1*vi>'i.-W'-S':T?«'!'.-; 


s 


THE   FIRE-SHIP. 


•5 


guns.  They  sounded  solemnly  at  intervals  through 
the  night.  The  news  then  came  from  the  Constitu- 
tion's steerage  that  little  midshipman  Israel  was  miss- 
ing, and  soon  it  was  known  that  he  had  smuggled 
himself  aboard  the  Intrepid  in  the  flagship's  cutter. 

Who  had  fired  the  train  no  one  knew,  and  no  one 
will  ever  know.  For  days  a  gloom  hung  over  the 
fleet.  Young  Lieutenant  Perry  could  never  get  the 
idea  quite  from  his  mind  that  Somers  felt  sure  that 
night  in  the  cabin  of  the  Nautilus  that  he  should  never 
return. 

After  the  close  of  the  war  with  Tripoli  all  the 
young  officers  who  had  so  distinguished  themselves 
found  themselves  back  in  their  own  country  with  very 
little  to  do.  The  United  States  was  at  peace  with 
every  nation,  although  strained  relations  were  grow- 
ing up  between  our  country  and  Great  Britain,  ow- 
ing to  the  continued  impressment  of  American  sailors. 

In  1808,  in  retaliation  for  England's  declaration 
that  the  coasts  of  Europe  were  in  a  state  of  blockade, 
an  embargo  was  laid  upon  their  vessels  coming  to  our 
own  sliores,  and  to  Lieutenant  Perry  was  given  the 
command  of  seventeen  gunboats  at  the  Newport  sta- 
tion. For  two  years  he  continued  here,  and  in  18 10 
he  was  given  the  command  of  the  United  States 
schooner  Revenge,  attached  to  Commodore  Rogers's 
squadron  at  New  London.     In  her  he  made  a  cruise 


"■-mm'i''himji:%^i^^Js:'ym:T^^S^j^^^ 


■Mi 


MHNIHMiiM 


t6 


THE   HERO  OF   ERIE. 


i 


to  the  southward.  Off  the  coast  of  Georgia  he  was 
fortunate  enough  to  be  able  to  come  to  the  rescue 
of  the  crew  of  the  ship  Diana,  of  Wiscosset.  The 
seamanship  and  judgment  he  displayed  in  handling 
his  own  vessel  brought  hini  again  before  the  eye  of 
the  public,  and  he  was  complimented  by  Congress 
upon  his  action. 

The  Revenge  was  one  of  our  crack  sailing  vessels 
of   the   smaller   class.     The    young   commander   was 
more  than  proud  of  her,  but  ill  fortune  was  soon  to 
overtake    him.      In    January,    1811,    he    sailed    from 
Newport  to   New   London,   and   when   but   a   short 
way  to  the  westward   of   Point   Judith   he   ran   into 
a  dense  fog,  as  he  recorded  in  a  letter  to  a  friend  at 
the  time,   "the   thickest.    Lord   knows,   I   shall   ever 
see,  or,  God  grant,  shall  surround  any  vessel  in  dan- 
gerous waters."     A  pilot  was  on  board   who  knew 
well  the  coast,  and  under  his  directions  the  Revenge 
crept  slowly  along  through  the   impenetrable   mists. 
Perry  himself,  becoming  a  little  anxious,  thought  it 
better  to  work  off  shore  more  to  the  southward.     The 
pilot  declared  at  first  that  he  kn*"-.   well  his  where- 
abouts, and  could  take  the  vessel  into  the  mouth  of 
the  Thames  with  his  eyes  shut  and  by  the  lead  alone. 
There  was  a  heavy  swell  on  at  the  time,  and  the 
lead   showed  deep  water.     Suddenly   a   man   at   the 
bow    shouted    back   the    startling    words,    "Breakers 
ahead  1"     Nothing  coitld  be  seen,  but  the  sound  of 


i.    HM.^Jtol^Wi-'^-^ 


i 


■.r^*-^"-  .'^i*- ."!  "*: " 


THE  FIRE-SHIP. 


«7 


tumbling  waters  was  heard  plainly.  The  Revenge 
was  thrown  up  into  the  wind,  and  the  anxious  young 
officer  once  more  addressed  the  pilot.  "  Where  are 
we,  sir? "  he  asked  sternly.  The  poor  man  appar- 
ently had  not  only  lost  his  bearing,  but  his  mind. 
In  his  fright  and  horror  his  teeth  began  to  chatter. 

"  I — I  do  not  know,  sir,"  he  faltered,  and  he  al- 
most collapsed  upon  the  deck. 

Immediately  the  anchor  was  dropped,  but  with 
the  set  of  the  tide  the  Revenge  drifted  down  upon 
the  reef,  and  in  a  few  minutes  she  struck,  stern  fore- 
most. The  swell  hove  her  farther  in,  and  despite  all 
the  efforts  to  kedge  hei  off  she  was  soon  driven 
broadside  down,  and  the  great  waves  began  to  break 
along  her  bulwarks.  Boats  were  lowered,  and  it 
was  ascertained  that  she  lay  off  the  mouth  of  the 
Pawcatuck  River.  To  the  northward  lay  what  is 
known  as  Watch  Hill. 

The  good  judgment  of  Perry  was  now  shown. 
Nothing,  he  perceived,  could  keep  his  vessel  from 
destruction,  and  he  determined  to  save  as  much 
property  as  he  possibly  could.  Soon  all  boats  were 
out.  The  personal  belongings  of  officers  and  crew 
were  taken  ashore;  the  sails  and  spars  were  put 
over  the  side;  even  the  guns  were  placed  on  rafts, 
and  the  smaller  ones  taken  ashore  in  boats,  and  be- 
fore the  vessel  began  to  show  signs  of  breaking  up 
he  had   stripped   her  and   dismantled   her  of  almost 


•  ■  'Cil 


as 


•• 


THE   HERO  OF   ERIE 


^ 


everything;  nothing  but  a  sheer  hulk  lay  there,  to  be 
devoured  by  the  hungry  sea. 

Perry  demanded  a  court  of  inquiry  into  his  con- 
duct upon  this  occasion,  despite  the  fact  that  he  was 
relieved  of  blame  by  all  his  officers  and  men.  The 
court,  after  a  full  investigation,  decided  that  his  con- 
duct was  not  only  free  from  blame  but  deserving 
of  great  praise.  So,  although  he  lost  his  ship,  he 
lost  nothing  of  his  reputation. 

Again  he  returned  to  Newport,  and  here  he  mar- 
ried a  Miss  Mason,  the  beautiful  daughter  of  Dr. 
Mason  of  that  city.  But  during  this  time  war  with 
England  was  becoming  more  and  more  of  a  certain- 
ty, and  when  it  was  declared,  to  young  Perry  was 
again  given  the  command  of  a  flotilla  of  gunboats  sta- 
tioned for  the  protection  of  i^^hode  Island  waters. 
It  was  not  a  very  active  position,  and  the  situation 
of  being  practically  unemployed  was  extremely  gall- 
ing to  a  man  of  his  ambition  and  keen  desires.  So, 
hearing  of  the  organization  of  the  naval  forces 
under  the  command  of  Commodore  Chauncey  upon 
the  lakes,  he  so'" cited  permission  to  join  them,  and 
was  ordered  to  ..'vair  to  Sackett's  Harbor,  on  Lake 
Ontario,  where    art  of  the  fleet  was  being  fitted  out. 


Cv  «i<  -  n^«>  '-'  >^^  -^  >'•'"'•''  ^■>'^'*' 


~r~-  ':^;*X&T:.W;i^.^m&-^i^:J^ 


CHAPTER  IV. 


ON    THE    LAKES. 


It  was  a  fortunate  thing  that  the  United  States 
Government  perceived  very  early  the  importance  of 
securing  the  command  of  the  Great  Lakes.  Although 
the  country  that  they  bordered  upon  was  wild  in  the 
extreme,  and  both  shores  were  thronged  with  hostile 
and  semi-hostile  Indians,  nevertheless  the  few  settle- 
ments that  had  grown  up  in  the  wilderness  were  of 
great  importance  to  the  United  States,  and  the  lakes 
were  the  key  to  the  possession  of  the  power  upon  our 
Northwestern  frontier. 

In  the  month  of  October,  1812,  Commodore 
Chauncey,  whom  the  Government  had  chosen  as  the 
man  best  fitted  for  the  purpose,  had  proceeded  to 
Lake  Ontario.  The  long,  wearisome  march  through 
the  wilderness  of  the  force  that  accompanied  him 
would  make  a  history  in  itself;  but  at  last  he  arrived 
upon  the  shores  of  the  great  waters,  and  found  him- 
self in  command  of  about  seven  hundred  seamen  and 
one  hundred  and  fifty  marines.  When  they  arrived, 
a  strange  state  of  affairs  existed.  Shipbuilders  and 
carpenters  had  been  at  work  for  some  months.    From 


^M 


'^i 


:"JWi?^7 


30 


THE   HERO  OF  ERIE. 


green  timber  and  newly  felled  trees  they  had  con- 
structed a  number  of  vessels,  and  out  of  the  primitive 
forest  had  made  shipyards,  and  the  noise  of  hammer 
and  saw  resounded  from  daylight  to  dark.     But  the 
prospects  for  success  were  extremely  gloomy.    One  of 
the  first  vesselc  launched,  a  brig  named  Adams,  after 
the  illustrious  patriot  of  Massachusetts,  had  fallen  into 
the  hands  of  the  British  soon  after  the  unfortunate 
surrender  of  the  American   General   Kull,   who,   for 
some  reason  best  known  to  himself  and  never  fully 
explained,  had  turned  over  the  forces  at  his  command 
to  the  British  almost  without  striking  a  blov^.     Owing 
to  the  early  descent  of  winter,  but  little  could  be  done 
in  the  way  of  placing  the  American  lieet  upon  a  war 
footing,    and    the    spring    of    the    year    1813    found 
the  British  in  almost  undisputed  control  of  the  water 
ways.    But  several  incidents  had  occurred  during  this 
time  which  it  is  not  possible  to  pass  by  in  this  connec- 
tion without  a  mention,  and  one  of  these  is  the  cap- 
ture of  the  British  brigs  Detroit  and  Caledonia,  the 
former  being  the  name  that  the  enemy  had  given  to 
the  Adams  after  she  had  fallen  into  their  hands;  and 
although  this  has  little  to  do  with  the  story  of  Perry 
himself,  it  tells  an  interesting  chapter  of  what  hap- 
pened, and  shows  the  caliber  of  the  men  that  he  was 
subsequently   called   to   command.     The   British   had 
built  and  manned  several  forts  composed  of  logs  and 
wood,  on  the  northern  shore,  and  as  bases  of  supplies 


•^^T^y""""' -" "  ^""  ""•""^»;"Ty;?i»sa! 


ON  THE  LAKES. 


3» 


1- 
e 

:r 
le 
)f 
;r 
o 
:e 
>r 

ly 

id 

S 
le 
ar 
id 
er 
lis 
c- 

P- 
he 

to 

tid 

ry 

P- 

^as 
ad 
nd 
ies 


I 


I 


they  served  good  purpose  in  the  forays  and  expedi- 
tions against  the  Americans  to  the  southward.     On 
the  7th  of  October  the   Detroit  and   the   Caledonia 
sailed  down  the  lake  and  anchored  under  the  guns  of 
Fort  Erie.      Lieutenant  Elliot  (of  whom  more  here- 
after) was  at  Buffalo,  superintending  the  purchase  and 
outfitting  of  some  vessels  that  it  was  intended  should 
be  attached  to  the  American  flotilla.     The  news  was 
brought   to   him   that   the   British   vessels   had  been 
sighted  and  were  lying  at  anchor  within  view  of  the 
American  shore.    Immediately  he  rode  out  to  the  en- 
campment of  General  Smyth  and  informed  him  of  the 
circumstance,  and  asked  permission  to  organize  a  cut- 
ting-out  party   and   capture    both   ships   by   surprise 
under  the  cover  of  darkness.    General  Smyth  listened 
attentively  to  the  plan,  and  then  shook  his  head  doubt- 
fully. 

"  I  doubt,  sir,"  said  he,  "  whether  there  are  above 
a  score  of  men  in  my  command  who  can  pull  an  oar, 
or  who  would  be  of  the  slightest  use  to  you  in  a  boat 
attack.  I  can  not  order  my  carpenters  and  shipbuilders 
to  your  support,  for  their  services  are  too  valuable  to 
be  risked  in  such  a  venture." 

"  It  is  ind.'ed  a  shame  for  such  a  chance  to  be 
passed  by  without  attempting  something,"  responded 
Lieutenant  Elliot,  "  for  im'ormation  has  been  brought 
to  me  that,  although  the  Detroit  is  manned  by  but 
fifty-six  Englishmen,  she  has  on  board  thirty  American 


'imi-i ' 


THE  HERO  OF   ERIE. 


prisoners;  and  the  Caledonia,  with  a  crew  of  but 
twelve,  has  ten  good  Americans  on  board  of  her.  The 
Hberation  of  these  men,  even  if  accomplished  by  a 
boarding  party  of  landsmen,  would  insure  a  force  suf- 
ficient for  the  working  of  both  vessels." 

But  again  General  Smyth  shook  his  head.  A  lands- 
man on  the  water,  in  his  idea,  was  at  much  greater 
disadvantage  than  a  seaman  ashore.  While  this  con- 
versation was  in  progress  a  figure  was  seen  apprc  h 
ing  upon  a  jaded  horse,  and  immediately  news  was 
brought  that  a  detachment  of  sailors,  who  had  marched 
over  five  hundred  miles  from  the  Hudson  River,  was 
in  camp  some  thirty-two  miles  away  to  the  eastward. 
It  was  near  nightfall,  but  nevertheless  Elliot  persuaded 
the  General  to  dispatch  a  rider  at  once  with  orders 
for  the  seamen  to  hasten  and  take  up  again  their  weary 
tramp.  Long  before  daylight  the  foot-sore  Jackies 
were  again  on  the  move,  and  by  noon  they  came  strag- 
gling into  the  camp.  A  sorry-looking  lot  they  were 
indeed.  No  one  would  ever  have  taken  them  for  a 
ship's  company  of  jaunty  tars;  their  clothes  were  in 
rags,  and  by  the  hard  and  unaccustomed  work  of  the 
past  few  weeks  they  had  been  worn  almost  to  skin 
and  bone.  They  bore  no  arms,  and  some  of  them 
were  so  weak  that  they  could  scarce  keep  on  their  feet, 
and  leaned  upon  one  another  for  support.  The  well- 
fed  soldiers  looked  at  them  with  pity.  They  appeared 
to  be  more  like  candidates  for  the  hospital  than  men 


i-  ■  -^  * 


t 


i'im'sjmfs 


'  s 


I 


\- 1  -:  * 


ON   THE  LAKES. 


33 


from  whom  a  fight  might  be  expected.  It  seemed  im- 
possible to  call  upon  these  men  for  further  exertion; 
it  seemed  cruel  to  ask  them  to  perform  even  the  light- 
est duty.  But  Elliot  knew  the  stuflE  that  they  were 
made  of.  Under  the  direction  of  the  carpenters,  two 
small  boats  carrying  about  fifty  men  apiece  had  been 
prepared  for  active  service.  Smyth,  who  had  inspected 
the  forlorn  detachment  with  Elliot,  again  looked  ex- 
tremely dubious. 

"  When  do  you  suppose  that  these  poor  fellows  will 
be  ready  or  able  to  perform  any  work? "  he  asked, 
after  he  had  carefully  looked  over  the  band  of  unarmed 
and  dusty  wayfarers,  mere  tramps  and  vagrants,  to  all 
appearances. 

"This  very  day,"  Elliot  responded,  "and  by  to- 
morrow morning  I  will  have  those  ships,  or  tnow  the 
reason  why." 

When  a  sailor  is  expected  to  perform  any  espe- 
*  cially  arduous  duty,  the  first  thing  that  his  officers  do 
is  to  see  that  he  is  well  fed,  and  an  extra  feeding  means 
that  extra  work  is  intended  for  him.  Hence  the  royal 
spread  that  was  provided  for  the  almost  exhausted 
sailors  might  have  warned  them  that  their  services  were 
soon  to  be  made  use  of.  Three  hours  after  their  ar- 
rival in  camp  the  poor  fellows  were  told  that  they 
would  have  to  forego  sleep  and  rest,  for  orders  were 
given  immediately  for  a  picked  body  of  them  to  man 
the  two  boats,  and,  without  being  fully  informed  of 


^^tf^ 


34 


THE  HERO  OF  ERIE. 


the  service  ahead  of  them,  they  were  crowded  on 
board.  It  was  then  found  that  in  the  whole  detach- 
ment there  were  no  boarding  pikes,  cutlasses,  or  battle- 
axes,  weapons  with  which  they  were  familiar  and  kncy. 
well  how  to  use.  Only  twenty  pistols  could  be  pro- 
cured; muskets  in  their  hands  were  of  little  use,  as 
" '  were  but  little  acquainted  w'.th  this  style  of 
\  on.  The  boats  proceeded  a  short  distance  down 
Buffalo  Creek,  and  then  were  made  fast  to  the  bank. 
General  Smyth  had  attached  two  small  companies  of 
infantry,  numbering  twenty-five,  to  each  boat  to  aid  the 
sailors  in  their  expedition.  It  seemed  almost  heart- 
less to  call  upon  the  latter  to  make  any  movement. 
Lying  huddled  together  in  their  dusty  rags  they  slept 
like  dead  men.  But  shortly  after  midnight  they  were 
aroused,  and  those  most  capable  of  exertion  were 
placed  upon  the  thwarts,  the  oars  were  manned,  and 
with  the  sluggish  current  they  pulled  out  into  the 
waters  of  the  lake.  For  two  hours  steadily  they  rowed, 
and  when  a  poor  fellow  would  fall  over  at  his  work 
another  was  ordered  and  urged  into  his  place.  At 
three  o'clock  the  word  was  passed  back  from  the  bow 
that  the  two  vessels  were  in  sight.  This  seemed  to 
stir  all  hands  to  action.  Grumbling  stopped,  and  with 
muffled  oars  and  in  dead  silence  the  boats  came  gliding 
alongside — the  leader  making  for  the  Caledonia,  which 
was  anchored  nearer  inshore,  and  the  second  boarding 
party  aiming  for  the  main  chains  of  the  Detroit. 


•,'y' 


i 


The  midnight    .urprise  "f  the  Detroit. 


I 


^.■'•^wy;/-■■f'^"!Ssk;H^va':i,i5Slfe^^*^*J^>)^^       '* 


m^ 


ON   THE  LAKES. 


35 


I 


Mit4iM 


Elliot  had  not  reckoned  wrongly.    No  doubt  it  had 
been  a  comfort  to  the  men  themselves  to  find  that  a 
naval  officer  was  in  charge  of  them.    It  inspired  them 
with  a  confidence  that  otherwise  they  might  not  have 
had.     The  familiar  orders  awakened  them  from  their 
lethargy.    When  the  boats  grated  alongside  of  the  un- 
suspecting ships  every  man  was  alert,  and  with  a  will 
they  tumbled  on  board.    Only  one  or  two  shots  were 
fired.      It  was  a  complete  surprise.      Everything  had 
been  arranged.     One  party  had  been  ordered  to  cut 
the  cable,  another  to  confine  the  Englishmen,  and  an- 
other to  liberate  the  American  prisoners  in  the  hold; 
a  fourth  was  to  make  sail  upon  the  vessels,  in  order 
to  carry  them,  if  possible,  up  the  river  and  out  of  the 
reach  of  the  guns  of  Fort  Erie.     But  alas!  often  the 
best-laid  plans  go  astray,  and  the  very  thing  needed 
to  make  the  expedition  a  success  failed  them  com- 
pletely.   There  was  no  wind.    The  sails  hung  listlessly 
against  the  masts,  and  as  soon  as  the  cables  were  cut 
by  the  swift  blows  of  the  axes  both  vessels  gathered 
stern   way    and   drifted   with   the    current   down    the 
stream  closer  to  the  shore  and  almost  into  the  mouths 
of  the  English  gtms.     The  fort  immediately  opened 
fire  upon  them  with  grape  and  solid  shot  at  the  closest 
rsnge,  but  owing  to  the  darkness  and  the  suddenness 
of  the  surprise,  perhaps,  the  gunners  found  little  time 
to  train  their  pieces  effectively,  for,  strange  as  it  may 
seem,  the  first  volley  did  but  little  damage.     Below 


llljft'^SjKS^fs^^^t^i^SeSiajf**  f..- i'5«sSi"-^te;^^?»!«-»^.S&-k  ^,^£SSii^  SSK^K 


.,.4i 


36 


THE   HERO  OF  ERIE. 


the  fort  in  the  woods  were  scattered  at  intervals  sev- 
eral pieces  of  flying  artillery,  and  as  the  vessels  came 
in  sight,  ambushed  by  the  trees  and  hidden  from  view, 
they  began  a  most  effective  fire.  The  Caledonia  had 
managed  to  get  out  sweeps  and  had  crept  out  into  th'" 
river.  Soon  she  was  beached  on  a  little  point  of  land 
known  as  Black  Rock,  in  as  near  a  position  as  possible 
to  one  of  the  American  batteries  on  the  southern  shore. 
But  the  Detroit,  that  Elliot  now  commanded,  being 
the  heavier  vessel,  could  not  be  handled  so  easily.  She 
drifted  down  the  river,  a  target  for  every  gun  on  shore, 
and  at  daybreak  she  found  herself  in  a  most  unhappy 
position.  By  this  time,  even  if  the  wind  had  sprung  up, 
the  sails  would  have  afforded  but  slight  assistance. 
They  were  riddled  with  shot,  and  most  of  the  yards 
and  stays  were  carried  away.  In  sheer  despair  Elliot 
dropped  a  spare  anchor  from  the  bows  and  hove  to 
short,  within  four  hundred  yards  of  an  English  battery, 
whose  guns  could  be  seen  plainly  extending  above  the 
ramparts  of  logs  and  earth.  An  officer  in  a  red  coat 
stepped  out  in  plain  view. 

"  Surrender  where  you  are,"  he  shouted,  "  or  I'll 
blow  you  out  of  water!  " 

It  looked  as  if  there  was  nothing  else  to  do  but  to 
comply.  The  overworked  sailors  listened  for  their 
commander's  words.  It  would  indeed  seem  hard  if, 
after  their  toilsome  march  and  the  sudden  and  exact- 
ing duty,  they  should  find  themselves  prisoners  so  soon. 


■''iimfMiim 


mmmMifm 


? 


ON   THE   LAKES. 


37 


Perhaps  Elliot's  reply  can  not  be  taken  seriously,  at 
all  events  his  subsequent  actions  belied  the  words  he 
spoke. 

"  If  you  dare  fire  a  shot  into  me,"  he  cried,  mount- 
ing the  rail,  "  I'll  bring  all  the  prisoners  on  deck,  and 
their  blood  be  on  your  heads!  " 

In  reply,  the  guns  spoke.  But  the  prisoners  were 
left  where  it  was  no  doubt  Elliot's  intention  they  should 
be,  down  in  the  hold. 

Again  the  cable  was  cut,  and  the  guns  on  his  star- 
board hand  were  brought  to  bear  with  some  effect 
upon  the  English  battery. 

But  bad  news  was  brought  to  him.  The  ammuni- 
tion was  exhausted!  He  had  not  enough  left  to  fire 
a  single  round,  and  in  addition  it  was  learned  that  the 
pilot,  a  French  Canadian,  and  the  only  person  on 
board  who  understood  anything  of  the  currents  and 
shoals  of  the  river,  had  disappeared,  probably  slipping 
into  the  water  and  swimming  ashore.  Helpless  and 
well-nigh  hopeless,  the  Detroit  drifted  down  the 
stream;  but  fortunately,  before  she  had  passed  the  bat- 
tery, she  struck  a  cross  current  and  headed  for  the 
southern  shore.  In  fifteen  minutes  she  grounded  on 
Squaw  Island,  little  more  than  halfway  to  safety.  The 
stream  ran  swiftly  in  broken  rapids  between  the  island 
and  the  American  side.  The  shots  from  the  English 
guns  could  reach  the  stranded  vessel,  but  despite  the 
danger  and  while  he  was  still  under  fire,  Elliot  lowered 


kiMiiifl 


38 


THE  HERO  OF  ERIE. 


f 


! 


his  boats,  and  j^lacing  the  prisoners  in  them  first,  he 

succeeded  in  ferrying  all  his  men  to  the  shelter  of  the 

friendly  land,  the  last  boat  reaching  there  at  about 

eight  o'clock  in  the  morning.    Before  noon  a  company 

of  British  regulars  rowed  out  from  the  Canadian  shore, 

and  in  turn  boarded  the  deserted  vessel,  but  a  party 

of  volunteers,  composed  of  a  detachment  of  Yankee 

troops  under  Major  Chapin,  drove  them  back  before 

the  flames  were  started,  for  it  was  the  intention  of  the 

English  to  set  the  Detroit  on  fire.     In  the  afternoon 

they  made  another  attempt,  but  were  again  repulsed. 

Then  it  was  determined,  owing  to  the  fact  that  she 

was  badly  grounded,  that  the  Americans  in  their  turn 

should  set  her  on  fire.     When  they  had  relieved  her 

of  her  stores  and  equipment  as  much  as  possible,  she  was 

given  over  to  the  flames.      The  little  Caledonia  was 

saved,  and  she  proved  to  be  no  inconsiderable  prize, 

for,  in  addition  to  her  guns  and  well-stored  magazine, 

she  had  on  board  a  cargo  of  furs  whose  value  has  been 

estimated  at  one  hundred  and  fifty  thousand  dollars. 

What  would  Elliot  have  done  in  this  affair  had  it 
not  been  for  the  arrival  of  the  men  from  the  seacoast, 
the  Yankee  sailors,  the  brave  fellows  to  whom  the 
country  owed  almost  everything  before  the  war  was 
ended?— these  bold-hearted,  tireless  lads,  who  had  ac- 
complished more  than  one  could  almost  expect  of 
human  beings,  who  had  fought  without  resting  and 
gone  without  sleep  and  food,  willingly  taking  up  their 


•♦s 


JSteli 


i 


.-3i.i.'. 


mmmmmmmmm 


ON  THE   LAKES. 


39 


duties,  suffering  hardships  almost  unequaled.  These 
were  the  men  that  Perry  found  himself  at  the  head  of 
when  he  came  to  take  command  of  the  flotilla  upon 
the  lakes.  How  they  behaved  under  him,  and  what 
they  accomplished,  make  the  best  part  of  this  story. 


i 


CHAPTER   V. 


THE  YOUNG   COMMANDER. 


It  was  in  March,  1813,  that  Oliver  Hazard  Perry 
received  his  appointment  as  master  commandant,  and 
shortly  afterward  his  application  for  active  service  on 
tit?  lakes  was  granted,  and  he  set  out  with  all  speed 
for  Sackett's  Harbor,  at  the  port  of  Erie,  where  t' 
American  fleet  was  in  progress  of  completion, 
arrived  there  late  in  the  month  of  March.  Winter  was 
still  on;  deep  drifts  were  in  the  roads  and  woods;  the 
ice  still  thick  in  the  lakes.  For  a  month  the  young 
officer  found  plenty  to  do  in  superintending  the  plac- 
ing of  the  armaments  on  board  of  the  vessels  and  rush- 
ing the  work  in  order  to  be  ready  to  get  afloat  and  in 
active  service  in  early  spring.  On  the  23d  of  April  he 
learned  of  the  intention  of  Commodore  Chauncey  and 
General  Dearborn,  in  command  of  the  troops,  to  at- 
tack Fort  George,  an  English  stronghold  not  far  from 
Queenstown.  On  the  25th  of  April  he  proceeded  from 
Sackett's  Harbor  and  joined  the  commodore  at  Ni- 
agara, and  no  doubt  his  advice,  his  bravery,  and  skill 

were  of  the  greatest  benefit  in  efTecting  the  reduction 
40 


f 


A.  ,>'-  v'  ^JiiW'.i»fyi^^iki 


,J_L 


THE  YOUNG   COMMANDER. 


4> 


of  the  fort.  The  plans  were  exceedingly  well  arranged. 
On  the  night  of  the  26th,  under  cover  of  darkness,  th^ 
fort  had  been  reconnoitered  and  small  buoys  placed  at 
varying  distances  in  order  to  designate  the  positions 
that  the  American  vessels  should  take  in  the  action. 


Lake  Erie. 

At  three  o'clock  in  the  morning  of  the  27th  the  fleet 
started.  The  larger  vessels,  named  the  Madison, 
Oneida,  and  Lady  of  the  Lake,  took  on  board  most  of 
the  heavy  artillery  and  as  many  troops  as  they  could 
carr>.  The  rest  of  the  attacking  force  crowded  into 
the  smaller  boats,  and  by  daylight  the  schooners  had 
found  their  moorings  and  opened  fire  upon  the  ene- 
my's batteries.  So  well  served  and  aimed  were  the 
guns  that  in  ten  minutes  the  return  fire  of  the  English 
was  seen  to  be  slacking,  and  before  a  quarter  of  an 
hour  of  cannonading   they   retreated   back   into   the 


■ 


J_V. 


?SBBP!-!r,:««Si-55r(Wi 


B^^^m^^mmMmmL... 


4» 


THE   HERO  OF    ERIE, 


woods,  abandoning  their  position.  In  the  meantime 
the  American  infantry  had  been  landed  near  one  oi  the 
forts  that  had  been  reduced  at  a  point  called  Two-mile 
Creek.  The  landing  occurred  without  opposition,  but 
the  troops  had  not  advanced  far  before  they  received 
a  tremendous  fire  from  the  woods,  and  the  British  ap- 
peared in  force  along  the  edge  of  the  steep  bank  up 
which  the  Americans  were  making  their  way.  The 
schooners  poured  a  withering  fire  into  them  over 
the  heads  of  their  own  men  and  once  more  caused 
them  to  scatter.  They  retreated  immediately  to 
Fort  George,  where  they  blew  up  their  magazines, 
and,  setting  fire  to  what  stores  they  could  not  carry 
away,  they  made  ofT  in  great  haste  to  Queenstown. 
For  some  distance  they  were  chased  by  the  light 
infantry,  but  at  last  pursuit  "/as  abandoned,  and 
the  American  forces  joined  together  again  at  Fort 
George. 

Perry  was  practically  u  volunteer  in  this  action; 
but  the  '^ommodore  referred  to  his  services  in  the  most 
highly  flattering  terms.  He  shunned  no  danger,  and 
it  was  .jmarked  that  he  must  have  worn  a  charm 
against  bullets,  for  many  times,  regardless  of  his  safe- 
ty, he  had  pracvically  offered  himself  as  a  target,  but 
the  missiles  scattered  around  him,  leaving  him  un- 
scathed. 

All  this  preliminary  description  is  absolutely  neces- 
sary to  the  leading  up  to  the  happenings  of  the  early 


r3 


•5     r<! 


o 
-5 

e 

E 


c 

o 

3 
0 


-a 

CO 


Qi 


5« 


;?#^iife  ■  -y,"|g: 


I 


amip 


PlfMIHip 


mm 


THE  YOUNG  COMMANDER. 


miriiiiiiiwi|i>i. 


43 


fall,  the  glorious  occasion  when  Perry  won  for  himself 
the  title  that  greeted  him  wherever  he  went  during 
his  lifetime,  that  of  the  "  Hero  of  Erie." 

The  day  after  the  fall  of  Fort  George,  Perry  was 
dispatched  by  the  commodore  with  a  body  of  fifty- 
five  seamen  to  Black  Rock,  where  he  was  ordered  to 
take  charge  of  the  five  vessels  at  that  place  and 
proceed  with  them  at  once  to  the  port  of  Erie. 
He  was  urged  to  have  the  whole  squadron  prepared 
and  ready  for  orders  and  action  at  the  earliest  pos- 
sible moment.  With  two  hundred  soldiers  that 
General  Dearborn  placed  on  board  the  vessels  at 
Black  Rock,  Perry  sailed  early  in  June,  intending 
to  join  his  little  fleet  with  those  already  under  his 
command  at  Erie. 

The  British  had  two  splendidly  equipped  .md  fast- 
sailing  vessels  waiting  to  rcept  the  little  squadron. 
They  were  named  the  Ladv  Provost  a  i  the  Queen 
Charlotte.  At  a  place  called  Lonp  ^  )int,  where  *he 
channel  is  exceedingly  narrow,  they  lav  anchored  n 
midstream  keeping  a  vigilant  lookout;  but  their  wake- 
fulness availed  them  nothing,  for  on  a  dark  night  Perry 
succeeded  in  passing  them,  drifting  by  within  or<  hun- 
dred yards  of  the  Queen  Chariotte.  Their  chagrin  at 
the  escape  of  the  flotilla  they  had  considered  alread\ 
in  their  power  can  readily  be  imagined. 

In  May  Perry's  largest  vessels,  which  he  named  the 
Niagara  and  the  Lawrence,  were  launched,  and  every 


'J, 


i 


%^^ 


4  I 


■1 
I 

i 


IS 


.•i 


•"""""""''"'*"'''*""^'"' ""»"*iii.m.Y..i.  ,MTii,.ii.ij..ii.ii  I  ri.i.i,.  ,idi,.n  .-I  ^1  ...|,,,|||M,,.,| ,   ,     ,, :;  ,^,.,,  .,,,,_„,,,,  ,„„j„;^^ 


exertion  was  made  to  complete  their  equipment  and 
fit  them  for  service.  On  July  22d  the  commodore 
arrived  at  the  head  of  Lake  Ontario  and  sent  one  hun- 
dred and  seventy  seamen  down  to  Perry,  who  was  glad 
enough  to  gain  their  services.  Just  at  this  time  the 
English  vessels  were  off  the  mouth  of  the  port  of  Erie, 
within  plain  sight  of  the  town.  One  or  two  of  the 
American  gunboats  sailed  out  to  reconnoiter  them,  and 
a  few  shots  were  exchanged  at  long  range,  without  any 
damage  being  done  to  one  side  or  the  other.  The 
vessels  now  under  the  command  of  the  young  com- 
modore, although  he  only  held  his  title  by  courtesy, 
consisted  of  the  Lawrence,  Niagara,  Caledonia,  Ariel, 
Scorpion,  and  Somers.  Two  smaller  vessels,  named  the 
Congress  and  Porcupine,  were  nearly  completed,  and 
were  put  in  commission  early  in  the  month  of  Au- 
gust. The  British  squadron,  hovering  outside  of 
the  port,  received  information  that  caused  them 
much  delight;  for  they  were  well  informed  in  re- 
gard to  the  progress  in  the  construction  of  the 
American  vessels,  and  knew  well  the  difficulties  which 
lay  before  them. 

It  was  known  that  the  water  on  the  long  sandy  bar 
crossing  the  mouth  of  the  river  was  exceedingly  shal- 
low, but  a  few  inches  over  six  feet,  in  the  ordinary 
condition  of  the  stream.  The  Niagara  drew  nine  feet, 
and  the  Lawrence  nine  feet  four  inches,  which  rendered 
them   absolutely    useless,    the    English    thought,    and 


placed  them  in  the  position  of  stranded  ships  or  prison- 
ers unless  they  could  escape  from  their  position.  To 
dig  a  channel  sufficiently  wide  and  deep  would  be  al- 
most a  hopeless  task,  and  so  the  English  commodore 
chuckled  to  himself.  But  Perry  went  on  with  his 
preparations  undisturbed,  and  as  if  entirely  in  igno- 
rance of  the  fact  that  he  had  become  a  laughing-stock 
for  the  British.  At  the  appointed  time  the  smaller  ves- 
sels proceeded  down  stream  and  crossed  the  bar,  and 
as  soon  as  everything  was  in  order  the  Niagara  and 
the  Lawrence  followed  them  and  anchored  bow  and 
stern  but  a  few  rods  above  where  the  shallows  began. 
Four  large  scows  were  now  towed  downstream  and 
placed  one  on  either  side  of  the  imprisoned  ships.  The 
plugs  were  drawn  from  their  bottoms,  the  water  en- 
tered, and  each  scow  sank  until  only  a  few  inches  of 
the  bulwarks  were  above  the  surface.  In  this  posi- 
tion they  were  secured  by  heavy  beams  thrust  through 
the  ports  of  the  two  vessels,  the  plugs  were  replaced, 
and  then  b_,  means  of  pumps  and  active  bailing  the 
water  in  the  scows  was  put  over  the  side,  and  buoyantly 
they  rose,  lifting  with  tremendous  power  the  vessels 
between  them,  and  reducing  their  draft  to  such  a  meas- 
ure that  in  safety  they  crossed  the  bar,  amid  the  shouts 
of  the  people  on  shore  and  the  cheers  of  the  sailors  of 
the  fleet. 

The  feelings  of  the  officers  of  his  Majesty  who  had 
indulged  in  the  hilarity  before  mentioned  are  not  de- 


»      ! 


1    \ 


! 


gyjjM'iifawtjrtuA^^Wualiijt^Jitwwwwiiititiu).  1)1111.1.1' «iittjii 


•iOk 


4« 


THE   HERO  OF  ERIE. 


."'. ' 


scribed  in  history,  but  soon  they  must  have  learned 
of  the  occurrence. 

Now  Perry  had  the  ships,  but  he  lacked  the  men 
to  handle  them,  and  how  could  he  secure  sailors  up 
there  in  the  wilderness?  There  was  but  one  way  open 
for  him,  and  that  was  to  make  them  out  of  the  rough 
material  from  which  the  troops  (mostly  militia)  were 
drawn.  He  received  permission  to  call  for  volunteers 
from  among  the  Pennsylvania  lads,  and  from  the  body 
who  offered  themselves  he  picked  some  seventy  or 
eighty.  The  British  blockading  squadron  had  with- 
drawn, and  Perry  put  out  with  this  nondescript  force 
and  what  actually  amounted  to  a  practice  cruise.  The 
men  were  exercised  at  the  guns  and  taught  such  sea- 
manship as  was  considered  necesnary,  and  upon  their 
return  to  Erie  they  were  a  little  more  handy  and  some- 
wha*^  acquainted  with  their  duties,  but  yet  they  were  a 
good  deal  like  the  wood  of  which  the  vessels  was  prin- 
cipally composed,  a  trifle  green. 

On  the  last  day  in  August  orders  were  received  to 
join  with  the  land  forces  of  General  Harrison  and  assist 
in  the  reduction  of  the  town  of  Maiden  on  the  Canadian 
shore.  In  accordance  with  this  plan  Perry  sailed,  and 
held  an  interview  with  General  Harrison,  in  which  he 
succeeded  in  persuading  the  latter  to  detail  some  of 
his  most  expert  riflemen  on  board  the  fleet  to  act  in 
the  capacity  of  marines,  a  force  in  which  he  was  en- 
tirely deficient.     The  general,  recognizing  the  useful- 


r*- 


.„     ..-1^ 


H!fffli»*ii 


•^■'^1 


THE  YOUNG  COMMANDER. 


47 


ness  of  such  a  corps,  detailed  seventy  Kentuckians  to 
go  on  board  the  ships,  and  these  men  subsequently 
rendered  good  accounts  of  themselves,  as  will  be  told. 

Owing  to  the  fact  that  the  Ohio  had  been  dispatched 
to  Erie  after  provisions,  and  that  the  Amelia  (a 
little  sailing  craft)  had  been  left  behind  because  of  the 
lack  of  men  to  man  her.  Perry's  force  now  consisted 
of  nine  sail  mounting  in  all  fifty-four  guns.  In  the 
harbor  of  Maiden  lay  the  British  fleet,  smaller  in  the 
number  of  vessels  but  heavier  in  armament,  consisting 
of  six  vessels  carrying  sixty-six  guns.  It  was  intended 
that  Perry  should  tempt  them  to  leave  the  protection 
of  the  forts  and  meet  him  in  the  open  waters  of  the 
lake,  and  that  General  Harrison  should  then  attack 
the  town  by  land.  But  the  British  commodore  re- 
fused the  offer  to  engage,  although  the  Yankee  squad- 
ron sailed  up  and  down  in  plain  sight,  flying  all  their 
bunting. 

At  last,  seeing  that  it  was  fruitless,  the  plan  was 
abandoned,  and  Perry  sailed  back  into  Put-in-Bay,  dis- 
tance some  thirty-four  miles.  Here  he  dropped  anchor. 
It  had  been  thought  unwise  to  risk  a  battle  on  land 
until  the  supremacy  of  the  water  ways  should  be  settled 
by  a  decisive  engagement.  Without  doubt  this  same 
thought  was  in  the  minds  of  the  British,  and  on  their 
part  every  preparation  was  hastened  to  place  their  ves- 
sels in  condition  for  the  coming  struggle.  In  speaking 
of  the  period  of  suspense  that  preceded  the  great  fight 


? 


'\ 


} 


i    ■ 


-: 


i    i 


5 


1^  I 


•■fT!?"'*'**''^ 


|i|;?itMiiitiftfiijrjjj|^^jjiii::ti^^ 


of  the  loth  of  September,  a  contemporary  refers  to  the 
attitude  of  the  commanders  of  the  two  squadrons  as 
follows: 

"  What  must  have  been  their  reflections  during  this 
interval  we  will  not  undertake  to  conjecture.  There  are 
few  spectacles  more  sublime,  and  none  more  impres- 
sive, than  that  of  two  hostile  armies,  or  two  hostile 
fleets,  situated  in  the  neighborhood  of  each  other,  re- 
posing only  as  preparatory  to  commencing  the  awful 
work  of  death.  It  is  an  awful  pause,  and  a  calm  which 
appears  most  profound  from  the  minds  associating  it 
with  what  is  to  follow,  just  as  the  stillness  is  the  greatest 
which  precedes  the  tempest.  This  scene  is  more  sub- 
lime and  impressive  than  that  of  the  same  hostile  parties 
when  engaged  in  battle.  Then  other  sensations  are 
produced — those  of  horror  and  sympathy,  of  hope  and 
fear — all  the  passions  being  greatly  agitated.  But  dur- 
ing the  repose  which  precedes  an  engagement  the 
mind  is  cool,  unagitated,  and  susceptible  of  deep  im- 
pressions from  the  impending  storm,  upon  which  the 
fate  of  thousands  of  our  fellow-men,  and  sometimes  the 
destiny  of  nations,  may  depend.  If  such  would  be  the 
impressions  of  an  observer,  what  must  be  the  feelings 
of  those  who  are  about  to  engage  themselves  in  the 
•  bloody  strife '  ?  " 

All  this  is  very  fine  old-fashioned  writing;  but  it 
was  indeed  a  momentous  occasion,  for,  although  sepa- 
rate actions  had  been  fought  at  sea,  upon  no  occasion 


I 


1 


WHIIJI    J    ,,    i:J[|U'  ^"gBSv:S:,tv^'aT^-- 


«fH* 


I 


"<mnpp 


THE  YOUNG  COMMANDER. 


49 


had  fleets  of  both  countries  been  engaged.  The  Eng- 
lish officers  were  men  of  experience  in  such  affairs, 
men  who  had  served  with  Nelson,  well  versed  in  line 
maneuvering  and  strategy.  On  the  other  hand,  the 
Americans  were  commanded  by  young  officers,  few  of 
whom  had  seen  actual  service,  and  the  sailors  and 
landsmen  were  all  untried.  Perry  felt  that  the  honor 
and  reputation  of  his  country  were  in  his  keeping.  He 
knew  that  the  conflict  could  not  be  long  deferred,  but 
he  did  not  anticipate  that  the  Eng]ish  would  be  the 
first  to  move  in  the  game. 

Shortly  after  sunrise  on  the  loth  of  September  a 
messenger  knocked  at  his  cabin  door.  The  English 
fleet  was  in  sight  1 


MtW^MIW 


ll 


"   M 


,        : 


:  1 


$  i 


I 


•m* 


IBg5'"W^Sa5g!«B 


•mmm 


CHAPTER   VI. 


THE   FLAGSHIP. 


Master-Commandant  Perry  was  up  in  an  instant. 
He  hurried  into  his  uniform  and  ascended  to  the  deck. 
It  was  yet  gray  in  the  morning;  a  faint  line  of  rosy 
light  stretched  above  the  hilltops  to  the  eastward, 
promising  the  dawning  of  a  glorious  day.  A  thin  mist 
hung  over  the  water,  scarcely  moved  by  the  light 
breeze  that  was  blowing  from  the  northward.  Every- 
thing looked  so  calm  and  peaceful  and  so  common- 
place that  the  young  commodore  could  scarcely  bring 
himself  to  believe  that  this  was  to  be  the  most  impor- 
tant crisis  of  his  life.  There  is  an  unreality  attached 
to  early  dawn,  with  its  broadening,  lifting  twilight, 
and  the  change  which  comes  swiftly,  until  suddenly, 
as  it  were,  like  a  burst  of  music  after  a  few  distant 
and  preliminary  chords,  the  great  day  opens.  On 
shore  the  news  had  not  spread  among  the  houses,  and 
they  stood  there  gray  and  silent.  From  a  few  chimneys 
rose  little  columns  of  smoke,  showing  that  the  early 
housewife  had  begun  her  daily  duties.  But  nearer  to 
hand,  among  the  vessels  of  the  fleet  all  was  bustle  and 

preparation.    There  were  hoarse  shouts  and  orders,  the 
50 


mm 


wm 


'^:^' 


!■*  i.Jtf  |;JJtt.itf  |]|Ji!Jiis^-^  m 


mm 


m/mm 


THE   FLAGSHIP. 


S« 


cheeping  of  block  and  tackle,  hails  and  counter-hails, 
and  the  thrum  of  oar-,  as  the  small  boats  plied  busily 
back  and  forth  from  one  vessel  to  another. 

Perry  had  sent  orders  for  Lieutenant  Elliot  to  re- 
pair on  board  the  Lawrence  as  soon  as  possible;  at 
once  Elliot  came  alongside.  He  was  evidently  labor- 
ing under  much  excitement. 

"  The  day  has  come  at  last!  "  he  said. 

"  The  one  we  have  long  been  wishing  for,"  Perry 
returned. 

There  was  very  little  time  to  lay  out  a  plan  of 
campaign,  but  nevertheless  it  was  arranged  that  the 
vessels  should  keep  as  well  in  line  as  possible,  and 
that  the  flagship  should  be  in  the  van.  She  was 
the  largest  of  the  Yankee  fleet,  and  most  suited  for 
the  honor.  Perry  saw  Elliot  over  the  side,  and 
then  he  turned  to  Lieutenant  Brooks,  a  tall  and  ex- 
ceedingly handsome  young  officer,  and  after  ordering 
him  to  make  sail  and  signal  the  rest  of  the  fleet  to 
follow,  he  asked  if  the  flag  that  he  had  ordered  had 
been  finished. 

"  I  have  it  here,"  Brooks  returned,  "  and  the 
quartermaster  is  bending  it  to  the  halyards." 

Perry  gave  a  smile  of  satisfaction  as  an  instant 
later  a  great  blue  flag  rose  swiftly  to  the  masthead.  On 
it  in  large  white  letters  that  could  be  read  at  almost 
the  distance  of  a  mile  were  the  last  words  of  the  brave 
James  Lawrence,  "  DON'T  GIVE  UP  THE  SHIP! " 


■ 


\ 


mvm.umiMmimm 


5« 


THE   HERO   OF  ERIE. 


yj 


It  rippled  out  bravely  in  the  light  morning  air,  and 
as  the  Lawrence  gained  headway  and  sailed  past  the 
others  to  take  her  position  as  the  leader  every  boat 
broke  out  into  cheers.  Now  from  the  shore  these 
cheers  were  answered,  for  the  people  had  begun  to 
gather  on  the  hillsides,  and  from  several  tall  trees  flew 
little  American  flags.  Yet  there  was  nothing  warlike 
in  the  scene.  It  might  have  been,  to  all  appearances, 
gazing  at  it  from  a  distance,  a  gala  festival.  But  on 
board  the  ships  things  wore  a  different  look.  The 
men  had  a  fierce  impetuosity  about  them  as  they 
worked  or  spoke.  Some  were  palpably  nervous,  and 
the  piles  of  shot  and  the  charges  of  powder  that  were 
being  brought  up  from  the  magazines  showed  what 
business  was  expected.  Beyond  the  mouth  of  the  bay 
appeared  the  English  fleet,  a  beautiful  sight  indeed. 
The  sun  caught  their  sails  and  changed  their  colors 
from  dull  gray  to  pink.  Their  flags  were  flying,  and 
they  were  approaching  in  one  long  line,  the  largest 
leading.  Their  numbers  and  their  strength  were 
known  to  the  American  officers. 

The  first  vessel  was  the  Detroit,  carrying  nineteen 
guns;  next  came  the  Queen  Charlotte,  carrying  seven- 
teen guns;  then  the  Lady  Provost,  named  in  compli- 
ment to  the  wife  of  Sir  Charles  Provost,  the  English 
leader;  then  followed  the  brig  Hunter,  of  ten  guns;  the 
sloop  Little  Belt,  of  three;  and  the  small  schooner 
Chippewa,  that  boasted  of  but  one.     The  breeze  was  so 


^mm 


THE   FLAGSHIP. 


miirm^ 


$S 


light,  and  the  fleets  were  so  far  apart,  that  it  would 
be  some  hours  before  the  engagement  could  possibly 
begin.  Perry  turned  as  he  suddenly  heard  a  question 
addressed  to  him.  He  looked  down  at  the  figure  that 
stood  at  his  elbow,  literally  and  not  figuratively,  as  it 
reached  scarcely  higher — a  bright  little  boy  of  but  thir- 
teen or  fourteen,  in  white  canvas  trousers,  and  a  wide 
black  tie  loosely  flowing  in  the  wind  over  his  shoulder. 
He  wore  a  short  roundabout  jacket  with  brass  buttons, 
and  his  long  curly  hair  stood  out  on  each  side  of  his  big 
midshipman's  cap.  It  was  Perry's  little  brothei,  a  boy 
of  great  spirit.  He  resembled  the  young  commodore 
in  coloring  and  feature.  It  seemed  hardly  possible  that 
any  one  so  young  and  innocent  could  be  brought 
into  such  doings,  or  asked  to  face  the  dangers  of 
deadly  action.  He  pointed  his  hand  out  over  the 
bulwarks. 

"  See  those  wild  ducks,"  he  said ;  "  they  look  as 
if  they  were  telling  us  to  come  on — don't  they?  " 

Some  brilliantly  colored  wild  fowl,  alarmed  by  the 
approach  of  the  fleet,  clattered  up  out  of  the  water 
and  swept  past  the  flagship's  bows,  heading  directly 
for  the  English  sail.  It  is  a  strange  thing  that  in  mo- 
ments of  great  suspense  or  excitement  small  incidents 
like  this  impress  themselves  upon  the  mind.  The  boy 
had  no  thought  of  approaching  danger;  he  had  no 
idea  what  death  and  destruction  he  might  soon  be  wit- 
nessing.    His  trust  and  dependence  and  his  admira- 


1 


mttmnmm 


"^'■jWi^SWWfWww*'*" 


54 


THE  HERO  OF   ERIE. 


tion  for  his  elder  brother  made  him  feel  perfectly  safe. 
Somehow  it  reminded  thf,  young  commodore  of  the 
way  he  felt  when  on  the  General  Greene  v/ith  his  own 
father  in  command. 

"Youngster,"  he  3?id,  "we  may  soon  be  fighting; 
stay  close  by  me." 

"  I'll  be  right  here,"  returned  the  little  fellow, 
"  where  you  can  find  me." 

The  Lawrence  had  now  gained  the  position  that 
Perry  wished  her  to  hold,  and  he  turned  to  look  back 
at  the  line  of  his  little  fleet.  He  had  more  vessels 
in  his  squadron  than  the  English  in  theirs,  as  we  have 
said,  but  the  guns  he  carried  were  less  in  number, 
amounting  to  a  total  of  fifty-four,  while,  as  it  was 
afterward  proved,  the  enemy  mounted  sixty-three. 
Not  far  from  the  Lawrence  sailed  the  brig  Niagara, 
that  Elliot  commanded.  Like  the  flagship,  she  car- 
ried twenty  guns,  all  carronades,  useless  at  long 
range,  but  terribly  destructive  when  within  pistol 
shot.  Just  beyond  the  Niagara  was  the  Caledonia, 
the  ^?essel  that  had  been  captured;  she  mounted 
three  guns.  The  schooner  Ariel  mounted  four,  and 
then  followed  the  gunboats  in  a  body.  The  Scor- 
pion and  the  Somers  carried  two  guns  each  on  their 
unprotected  decks,  for  the  bulwarks  were  scarcely 
the  height  of  a  man's  kn.»e;  the  Tigress  and  the 
Porcupine,  schooners  also,  each  carried  one  carron- 
ade.    A  jaunty  little  single-sticker,  the  Tripp,  of  one 


'  ■* 


mmitu>immmpi» 


afe. 
the 
)wn 

ing; 
ow, 

that 
tack 
isels 
lave 
her, 
was 
ree. 
ara, 
car- 
ong 
stol 
inia, 
ited 
and 
cor- 
heir 
cely 
the 
ron- 
one 


THE  FLAGSHIP. 


55 


gun,    sailed   al-ng   with   them.      It   was   but    a   toy 
fleet,  to  all  appearances. 

The  Englishmen  had  the  weather  gauge,  and  were 
coming  bravely  on  as  fast  as  the  light  air  would  per- 
mit them.     But  at  ten  o'clock  the  breeze  died  away, 
and  although  both  sides  were  eager  to  begin  the  fight- 
ing, they  drifted  at  safe  distance,  watching  one  an- 
other and  longing  to  be  at  it.     Then  in  a  few  min- 
utes the  wind,  which  had  veered  to  the  southwest, 
again  changed  direction,  as  it  often  does  on  the  inland 
waters,  and  blew  offshore  from  the  southeast,  giving 
the  American  squadron  the  advantage  that  had  been 
held  heretofore  by  the  enemy,  that   of  the  weather 
gauge.    Slowly  they  forged  along  toward  the  waiting 
English  fleet.     The  order  was  now  slightly  changed. 
The  two  little  gunboats  Scorpion  and  Ariel  were  now 
in  the  lead  but  a  pistol-shot  distance  off  the  port  bow 
of  the  Lawrence,  whose  motto  flag  was  fluttering  and 
tossing  in  the  bright  sunlight.    Soon  they  were  leading 
the  rest  by  over  a  quarter  of  a  mile,  and  it  was  evi- 
dent that  one  would  be  the  first  to  engage  the  enemy. 
The  supense  increased.     The  men  were  all  at  their 
quarters;  some  of  the  old  sailors  had  stripped  them- 
selves   to    the    waist,    as    they    did    in    the    old-time 
style.     Here  was  a  gun  crew  standing  quietly  about 
their   piece;   and   lining  the   bulwarks  were   a   crowd 
of  motley  uniforms — riflemen  from  Kentucky  in  fringed 
shirts  and  buckskin  leggings  stood  next  to  regular 


\   tl 


\m-^ 


if^ 


^'ffM^»J?MikS  »-m" 


56 


THE  HERO   OF  ERIE. 


soldiers  in  their  brass  and  leather  shakos,  militia- 
men in  homemade  uniforns,  nervously  fingering  their 
clumsy  flintlock  muskets,  but  all  bravely  determined 
to  stand  by  their  young  commander  to  the  last.    Down 


■ 

■ 

■•vmawT  i 

X\.wi»m«*n 

^Qvr.twMkvtmt 

A^CKVtMK* 

^  «mtUk 

*W«oi'»  ^iKwwmt    V. 

^    i^»»Mv                ^ 

Diagnun  of  the  battle,  No.  i. 

in  the  little  cockpit  the  surgeon.  Usher  Parsons,  had 
spread  his  tables  and  made  ready  his  shining  knives 
and  instruments.  There  was  scarcely  head  room  in 
his  deadly  workshop,  and  alas!  owing  to  the  light 
draught  of  the  vessel,  it  was  not,  as  it  should  have 
been,  safe  below  the  water  line. 

Lieutenants  Yarnell  and  Brooks  were  on  the  quar- 
ter-deck, talking  in  loud  voices  and  counting  the  mo- 
ments when  the  first  gun  should  be  fired.  They  had 
not  long  to  wait.     At  fifteen  minutes  before  twelve 


mjijmmuijwanai 


THE  FLAGSHIP. 


the  nearest  Englishman,  the  Detroit,  opened  fire,  dis- 
charging a  single  gun.     The  aim  was  good;  the  ball 
struck  with  a  shock  in  the  Lawrence's  bow.     It  did 
no  damage,  but  a  most  unfortunate  circumstance  oc- 
curred.     The    slight    breeze    died    away    at    this    in- 
stant,  and  it  fell  dead   calm.      It   had   been   Perry's 
intention   boldly   to   break   the    British   line   and   to 
have  the   rest   of  his  vessels   follow  him   into   close 
action;  and  it  must  be  stated  in  all  justice  that  close 
action  was  what  the  British  commodore,  brave  Cap- 
tain Barclay  one  of  the  men  who  had  fought  with 
Nelson  at  the  Nile,  desired  most  also.      He  was  not 
the  man  to  shirk  this  style  of  fighting.     For  a  minute 
there  was  a  pause.     Perry  looked  back  at  the  rest  of 
his    vessels   and    almost    groaned.      There   they    lay, 
swinging  hither  and  thither,  with  their  sails  hanging 
lifeless,  too  far  off  to  be  of  the  slightest  assistance  to 
him.     Again  the  Detroit  fired,  and  now  those  who 
had  never  been  in  action  before  caught  their  first  sight 
of  blood.     The  ball  struck  the  edge  of  one  of  the 
after  ports,  partly  dismounted  the  gun,  killed  the  man 
standing  at  the  lock,  and  filled  the  air  with  a  shower 
of  splinters.     A  man  staggered  aft  with  both  hands 
clasped  about  his  neck,  where  he  had  been  pierced  as 
though  by  an  arrow.     One  of  the  flying  bits  of  wood 
caught  Lieutenant  Yamell  on  the  brow;  he  staggered 
slightly,  and  dashed  away  the  blood.     Taking  a  ban- 
danna handkerchief  out  of  his  pocket,  be  tossed  his  big 


58 


THE  HERO  OF  ERIE. 


hat  to  one  side  and  tightly  bound  up  the  wound  with- 
out a  word.  Yarnell  was  dressed  like  a  common  sailor; 
in  fact,  few  of  the  officers  wore  any  distinguishing 
uniform,  and  Perry  was  bareheaded  during  most  of 
the  engagement.  In  reply  to  this  death-dealing  shot, 
one  of  the  guns  of  the  forward  division  was  fired, 
and  then  it  was  seen  how  horrible  the  position  of 
the  flagship  was  at  the  moment.  The  carronade 
that  had  replied  was  impotent;  the  ball  carried 
scarcely  more  than  two  thirds  of  the  way  to  its 
mark,  and  plashed  harmlessly  into  the  water.  An- 
other was  fired,  with  the  same  result.  Perry  turned 
to  Brooks. 

"  Cease  firing/'  he  said ;  "  it  is  wasting  powder  and 
shot.  O  God,  give  us  some  wind,  that  we  may  come 
up  with  them! " 

But  no  wind  came,  and  the  Detroit  with  her 
long  guns  kept  up  her  practice  gunnery.  The  other 
vessels  joined  in.  But  for  ten  minutes  not  a  lock- 
string  was  pulled  on  board  the  Lawrence.  Blocks 
and  rigging  fell  from  aloft,  splinters  were  everywhere, 
pools  of  blood  covered  the  decks,  wounded  men 
were  being  carried  down  the  hatchways.  What  a 
frightful  thing  it  must  have  been  to  witness  on  this 
beautiful,  bright  day,  with  the  sky  free  from  a  single 
cloud,  and  the  sunshine  lighting  the  hills  and  tree  tops 
along  the  shore!  The  dead  soon  began  to  encum- 
ber the   decks,   and   it   became   a   horrible   necessity 


r'f 


■  <i 


wder  and 
lay  come 

with  her 
rhe  other 
t  a  lock- 
:.    Blocks 
erywhere, 
ided    men 
What  a 
5S  on  this 
n  a  single 
1  tree  tops 
to  encum- 
;  necessity. 


r^ 


i 


il 


ii 


V 

U 


c 

0 


J3 


>! 
S 
a 


"PBSBBH 


■■•* .. 


u 

u 
u 

a 
-J 

c 
o 


*& 


%      ^ 


THE  FLAGSHIP. 


59 


to  put  them  over  the  side,   and  soon  the  water   in 
close    proximity    was    dotted  with    floating,    mangled 

bodies. 

But   there  was   no   thought   of   surrender   in   the 
mind  of  a  single  man  on  board.     All  Perry  wished 
and   prayed   for   was   to   gain   a    position    where    he 
could  fight  back  in  return,  and  with  delight  he  saw 
that  he  was  drifting  nearer  and  nearer.     In  a  few 
minutes  it  would  be  "  give  "  as  well  as  "  take."    The  men 
still  stuck  to  their  posts.     Signal  flags  were  flying  from 
the  Lawrence's  yardann  ordering  the  fleet  in  the  rear 
to  come  up  and  support  her,  but  the  wind  was  yet 
too  light;   they   could  not  approach.     At   five  min- 
utes  of   twelve   the    Lawrence   began    to    open   fire, 
and  the  men  who  had  hitherto  remained  silent  started 
cheering.      The    rattle    of    musketry    sounded    along 
her  bulwarks.     They  were  breathing  their  own-  smoke 
now,  and  no  longer  that  of  the  enemy  alone.     Help- 
less,  and    unable   to   work    a   single   sail — for   every 
brace  and  bowline  was  shot  away — the  Yankee  flag- 
ship  drifted   straight   in   among   the   British   vessels. 
Her  shots  began  to  tell;   the  topmast  of  one  of  the 
English  brigs  came  down  to  the  deck.     Yarnell  was 
again   wounded,   and   his   features   now   were   almost 
unrecognizable.      Perry    ordered    him    below   to    the 
surgeon,   but   in   two   minutes   he    returned.      From 
the  shore   and  from  the   other  vessels,   which   were 
doing  their  best  to  come  into  action,  the  scene  was 


■wwrg 


grand,  if  terrible.  There  the  flagship  floated;  har 
motto  flag  still  flying,  single-handed  engaging  the 
English  fleet.  From  every  side  came  flashes  and  the 
thundering  discharges.  She  was  assailed  from  all 
directions,  but  she  would  not  down. 


I; 

her 

g 

the 

id  the 

m 

all 

% 


I.V 


CHAPTER  VII. 


THE    BATTLE. 


There  were  now  seven  guns  that  Perry  found  he 
could  use  in  replying  to  the  concentrated  fire  of  the 
EngHsh,  who  had  thirty-two  playing  upon  his  al- 
most defenseless  vessel.  Seeing  that  they  could 
now  fight  back,  the  crew  had  settled  themselves, 
and  were  taking  the  death  and  destruction  dealt  every- 
where about  them  as  if  it  were  a  matter  of  course. 
A  militiaman  who  had  never  been  on  board  a  craa 
larger  than  a  flatboat  before  in  all  his  life,  and  had 
never  till  three  or  four  days  previously  seen  a  square- 
rigged  ship,  mounted  into  the  rigging;  holding  his 
rifle  under  his  arm,  he  ascended  to  the  crosstrees, 
and  squatting  there  began  to  load  and  fire  with  as 
much  carelessness  of  his  surroundings  as  if  the  feat 
had  been  practiced  by  him  time  and  time  before. 

Seeing  that  it  was  impossible  to  hasten  the  arrival 

of  the  other  vessels,  who  were  doing  their  best  to 

get  into  action,  and  knowing  that  the  surrender  of 

the  Lawrence  would  be  a  death-blow  to  all  chances 

of  ultimate  victory,   Perry   determined   to   hold   out 

to  the  last.     He  did  not  have  to  tell  this  to  the 

6x 


It 


1 


noble  crew  who  served  under  him;  they  felt  it  aad 
knew  it  as  well  as  he.  Never  was  there  a  sign  of 
the  white  feather  shown.  The  vessel  was  quivering 
beneath  the  blows  she  was  sustaining.  Some  of  the 
English  shots  went  clean  through  her,  carrying  the 
deadly  splinters  in  their  wake. 

Turning  to  give  an  order  to  Lieutenant  Yamell, 
the  commodore  almost  gasped  in  horror,  for  the 
lieutenant's  features  were  again  almost  indistinguish- 
able. He  had  received  another  wound  in  the  face, 
and  was  bleeding  so  that  he  was  almost  blinded. 

"  Go  below,  to  the  surgeon,"  Perry  ordered 

the  second  time. 

Yamell  hesitated.  "Time  is  precious,  sir,"  he 
mumbled.  But  upon  Perry's  repeating  the  command 
he  hurried  down  the  ladder. 

Lieutenant  Brooks,  who  was  in  charge  of  the  after 
division,  came  up.  A  grim  smile  was  on  his  hand- 
some face.  "So  far,  so  good,  sir,"  he  said.  "See 
how  our  men  fight!  I  believe  we'll  hold  them  till 
the  rest  come  up." 

"  God  grant  so! "  Perry  replied  fervently. 

At  this  minute  three  men,  who  were  serving  one 
of  the  most  effective  guns,  came  down  together  in 
a  heap.  Their  piece  had  just  been  sighted.  Brooks 
stepped  forward  hastily  and  pulled  the  lanyard.  It 
failed  to  go  off.  The  captain  of  the  gun,  an  old 
sailor,  with  grizzled  hair  and  rugged  features,  smeared 


Ki^mmmmt^stttsiimm 


mm 


mamtm 


.\ ._ 


and   blarkened   with  gunpowder,   began   fumbling  at 
the  lock.     Perry  stepped  close  to  him. 

"What's  the   matter  here,   my   man?"   he  asked, 
in  the  same  cool  tone  that  he  might  have  used  at 

drill. 

"My  piece  behaves  shamefully,  shamefully!"  the 
old  sailor  replied  with  the  petulance  of  a  child. 

"Stand  to  one  side,  my  lad,"  put  in  Lieuten- 
ant Brooks. 

As  he  stepped  ui)  he  drew  a  pistol  from  his  belt, 
and  placing  the  muzzle  close  to  the  priming  pulled 
the  trigger.     The  roar  and  explosion  followed. 

"  That  found  the  mark,  sir! "  cried  the  old  sailor. 
"  Now,  my  hearties,  run  her  in! " 

Lieutenant    Brooks   and   little   Midshipman    Perry 
laid  hold  of  the  tackle,  as  the  old  sailor  picked  up 
the  sponge,  for  the  gun  was  now  short-handed.     But 
their  places  were  soon  filled  by  the  gun's  crew  from 
one  of  the  forward  divisions  whose  piece   had  been 
dismounted.      As   they    stepped    over    the    bodies    of 
their  dead  comrades  they  all  looked  in  the  face  of  the 
young  captain— in  fact,  everywhere  he  found  all  eyes 
directed   at   him;   not   mutely   appealing   to    him   to 
save   them   or   stop   the   appalling   death,   but    as   if 
they  said,  "Say  but  the  word,  sir;  we're  here  to  do 
our   duty,   and    we'll   die   for    it."      It    was   the*  old 
morituri  te  salutant,  only  it  was  for  a  nobler,  grander 
purpose  than  to  amuse  the  rabble  of  the  arena  side. 


I 
f 


(4^ 


WSB- 


■iMMjm^ummu  ^,.^^^^i-3Wk^.^^MSSz 


64 


THE   HERO  OF  ERIE. 


Their  country  was  the  stake,  their  countrymen's 
eyes  were  on  them.  They  could  not  and  would 
not  flinch;  even  the  wounded  who  could  stand  tried 
to  struggle  back  to  their  posts.  It  was  grand,  it 
was  sublime;  it  was  a  war  in  all  its  horrible  cruelty. 

Again  Brooks  spoke  to  Perry. 

"  Noble  fellows,  noble  fellows,"  he  murmured,  the 
tears  standing  in  his  eyes.  "  See,"  he  suddenly  ex- 
claimed, "  here  comes  my  little  negro  Sam!  " 

A  colored  boy  of  about  fourteen  years  of  age  ran 
up  from  below  with  a  charge  of  powder  in  his  hands. 
Brooks  spoke  to  him  encouragingly,  and  the  little  fel- 
low grinned  from  ear  to  car. 

"  You're  a  good  boy,  Sam.  Don't  let  that  gun  be 
waiting." 

"  No,  massa,  we  keeps  her  barkin'  all  de  time." 

Suddenly  Perry  felt  a  touch  upon  his  hand.  He 
looked  down.  It  was  his  little  brother  who  had  grasped 
him,  not  in  fear,  but  half  unconsciously,  as  a  child  in 
times  of  excitement  shows  confidence  and  trust  in  a  per- 
son whom  it  loves.  A  strange  picture  the  two  must 
have  presented,  both  brothers  so  young,  and  yet, 
with  such  a  difference  in  their  ages,  standing  there 
hand  in  hand.  All  at  once  the  midshipman  let  go 
his  grasp  and  gave  a  cry  of  horror.  Something 
heavy  struck  against  Perry's  side  and  was  flung 
across  the  deck;  he  turned  quickly  and  saw  a  horrible 
sight.    There  lay  poor  Brooks,  who  had  been  hurled 


SfAKSaSs^^^Ki.  ■ 


I  ■■' 


THE   BATTLE. 


65 


against  the  rail.  A  round  shot  had  struck  him  in  the 
hip:  what  had  been  a  fine,  stalwart  man  was  now 
a  shattered  wreck.  His  face  was  contracted,  and  in 
spite  of  all  his  efforts  he  could  not  control  a  cry 
of  anguish  and  despair.  The  agony  he  suffered  was 
terrible.     Perry  hastened  to  him. 

"  I'm  done  for,  sir,"  he  cried,  "  I'm  done  for. 
Have  me  shot,  have  me  put  out  of  this  misery;  for  the 
sake  of  mercy,  kill  me!" 

"  Hush-7-be  brave,"  Perry  cried,  grasping  the  lieu- 
tenant's hand.    "  Be  brave,  old  friend." 

As  if  all  this  was  not  enough  to  unnerve  even  the 
stoutest  heart,  at  this  very  moment  the  little  mulatto 
boy  came  running  by.  He  stopped,  and  saw  who  it 
was  upon  the  deck.  The  shriek  he  gave  made  some 
of  the  men  at  the  guns  turn  around  and  look. 

"  Massa,  O  my  massa,  dey's  done  gone  killed  you!  " 
he  cried,  bursting  into  a  paroxysm  of  grief. 

Brooks's  face  was  now  set  and  calm.  "  Be  quiet, 
Sam,"  he  said.     "Go,  do  your  duty." 

Two  sailors  under  Perry's  orders  picked  up  the 
mangled  body  from  the  deck  and  carried  it  below; 
but  the  little  negro  boy  did  not  cease  his  lamen- 
tations. Maybe  it  was  the  force  of  habit  that  made 
him  do  what  he  did,  but  still  crying  out,  "  Massa, 
massa,  oh,  dey's  killed  my  massa! "  he  picked  up 
the  lieutenant's  heavy  hat  from  the  deck  and  fol- 
lowed the  sailors  and  their  burden  down  the  ladder. 


I 


7^, 


^^^^^^^'!^7!^7!^!^!^!!m^^^^^^^S^^S^^^^^<^^^^^^^^^^^^ 


In: 


66 


THE   HERO  OF  ERIE. 


In  recounting  war  and  the  deeds  thut  are  done 
in  battle,  and  the  sights  and  sounds,  it  is  necessary 
to  bring  out  things  as  they  happen.  War  may  be 
glorious  in  its  fruits  and  perhaps  noble  in  its  ams, 
but  it  is  cruel  and  horrible,  and  to  gain  a  picture 
of  what  it  is  it  must  be  made  so.  There  is  noth- 
ing else  to  do  but  to  treat  it  as  reality— a  grim,  dread- 
ful reality,  not  to  be  misunderstood. 

Scarcely  had  Brooks  been  taken  below,  when  this 
fact  was  forced  again  on  Perry's  mind.  Yarnell  was 
once  more  on  deck.  His  head  was  swathed  in  red- 
stained  bandages. 

"  Can  you  let  me  have  more  men  for  the  forward 
guns?  "  he  asked. 

"  fou'll  have  to  ask  the  surgeon  for  some  of  his 
assistants.     Tell  him  I  sent  you,"  was  Perry's  repb'. 

Yaraell  disappeared.  In  a  minute  he  returned,  fol- 
lowed by  two  young  lads  fresh  from  their  ghastly  work 
below.  In  five  minutes  Yarnell  again  stood  before 
Perry  by  the  ma^t.  His  clothes  v^ere  torn  and  he 
reeled  a  little  on  his  feet.  He  had  been  woundfd 
the  fourth  time! 

''  Those  men  have  all  been  killed,"  he  said. 
"  Let  me  have  some  more;  we  must  keep  that  gun 
a-going." 

"  I  have  no  more  men  to  give  you,"  Perry  an- 
swered quietly. 

Yarnell  saluted,  and  tottered  forward  to  his  post. 


..•i>;';<»Sv:fes3i'V-!r 


M 


fi:-^MM^t'^i''i'^i<^nii^-'^-^'^^^^ 


m 


ams, 


The  roar  of  discharges  now  sounded  in  all  direc- 
tions, for  the  Lawrence  had  drifted  within  half  pistol- 
shot  of  the  vessels  of  the  fleet  that  starrom^ded  her. 
It  looked  as  if  the  combat  could  be  sustained  no  longer. 
Purser  Hamilton,  who  had  been  serving  at  a  gun 
and  was  shot  through  the  body,  was  taken  below  by 
two  slightly    •  junded  men. 

If  the  scene  on  deck  was  frightful,  what  must  it 
have  been  down  in  that  close,  smoke-filled  cockpit, 
crowded  with  wounded  men,  who  lay  in  moaning 
huddles  everywhere!  Surgeon  Usher  Parsons  was 
left  all  alone  at  his  work.  The  cockpit  was  above 
the  water  line.  Hamilton  was  placed  beside  the  dy- 
ing Brooks,  and  turned  and  opoke  to  him.  The 
latter  asked  for  Perry.  The  pain  had  left  him  now. 
and  he  spoke  calmly  and  collectedly. 

"  If  Perry's  life  is  saved,  he'll  win  us  ow^  of  this," 
he  said. 

Hamilton  was  about  to  answer  him.  whei.  s/jme- 
thing  occurred  so  frightful  and  so  unexpected  ':ha* 
all  thoughts  were  driven  from  his  mind.  Midsi*ij»- 
man  Henry  Laub  was  on  the  table,  having  a  gl'  .st 
ly  wound  in  the  shoulder  dressed  by  the  surgeon. 
With  a  crash  a  solid  shot  came  through  the  side 
of  the  vessel  and  killed  him  where  he  lay  A  Nar 
ragansett  Indian  who  sat  leaning  against  one  of  the 
timbers  was  hurled  by  this  same  shot  across  the 
narrow  space,  and  fell  dead  among  a  pile  of  wounded 


mmKmmimmmmmf 


nil 


-^  a*B*i*«*M.i«^'^ 


B)  2i 


THE   HERO  OF  ERIE. 


And  just  at  this  moment  the  brave  Brooks  breathed 
his  last. 

Up  on  deck  there  was  scarcely  a  score  of  men 
uninjured.  Perry  looked  about  him  and  saw  that 
every  officer  was  wounded  with  the  exception  of 
himself  and  his  little  brof.her.  Near  by  stood  Midship- 
man Dulaney  Forrest,  who  was  nursing  a  bruised 
arm.  A  shot  came  in  through  an  open  port,  glanced, 
struck  the  mast,  and  glanced  again.  Its  force  was 
almost  spent,  but  it  caught  the  midshipman  full  in 
the  chest,  and  down  he  went.     Perry  bent  over  him. 

"  Are  you  badly  hurt,  lad?  "  he  asked  anxiously. 

The  boy  struggled  to  his  feet;  the  breath  was  almost 
knocked  out  of  his  body. 

"  Not  much,  sir,"  he  gasped,  and  then,  thrusting 
his  hand  inside  his  waistcoat,  he  extricated  something 
— it  was  the  spent  shot  that  had  struck  him! 

"This  is  my  ball,  I  think,  sir,"  he  went  on,  and 
calmly  slipped  it  into  his  breeches  pocket. 

It  is  a  strange  thing  that  in  moments  of  great 
excitement  rnen  take  unusual  happenings  casually. 
There  was  no  bravado  in  young  Forrest's  speech; 
he  just  expressed  a  thought  that  came  into  his 
mind.     It  was  as  simply  done  as  it  was  simply  said. 

Joy  now  came  into  Perry's  heart.  Looking  over 
the  shattered  bulwarks,  he  saw  that  a  slight  breeze 
had  sprung  up,  and  that  before  it  the  fleet  was 
coming  down  to  help  him,  the  Niagara  leading  and 


■      iniiiiMJi 


't 


■MM 


breathed 


jgggggggjggggggBgH 


Willi  . 


;  of  men 
saw  that 
:ption  of 
Midship- 
i  bruised 
glanced, 
orce  was 
n  full  in 
)ver  him. 
dously. 
as  almost 

thrusting 
omething 

on,  and 

of  great 
casually. 
5  speech; 
into  his 
ply  said. 
:ing  over 
lit  breeze 
fleet  was 
ding  and 


■'ai'iiiiP4iMijafaj.yMaA^iia^ 


^  ^  .if  Utiitfi 


e 


3      :fe 


i     k 


»l .    ■'  'i^tf  ■ 


c     ^ 

■5     ^ 

be    ■' 


-S     i 

3      :| 


5 


■—       R 


THE  BATTLE. 


69 


the  gunboats  trailing  yet  a  long  way  astern  of  her. 
It  had  been  almost  two  hours  that  he  had  been 
fighting  single-handed.  And  now  help  was  coming 
to  him.  He  saw  a  chance  also  of  taking  advantage 
of  the  wind  and  creeping  away  from  the  two  vessels 
that  were  harassing  him  most.  Oh,  if  he  could  but 
make  sail!  Turning  to  Forrest,  he  ordered  him  to 
ask  the  surgeon  to  come  up  on  deck.  Usher  Par- 
sons appeared.  Perry  spoke  a  few  quick  words  to 
him,  and  he  went  below  again. 

"  Is  there  any  man  here,"  he  cried,  when  he  had 
reached  the  cockpit,  "that  is  able  to  haul  a  rope? 
If  so.  Captain  Perry  would  like  to  see  him  on  deck." 

Five  men,  weak  and  gory,  crawled  out  on  hands 
and  knees  and  went  up  the  ladder.  During  all  this 
time,  although  his  heaii  was  bleeding  with  anguish 
at  the  spectacle  of  his  brave  lads  torn  to  pitves, 
Perry  had  made  no  outwaid  sign  of  fear  or  grief. 
But  something  occurred  that  forced  a  cry  from  hnn. 
A  ball  suiking  in  the  bulwarks  dislodged  one  of 
the  hammocks^,  which  in  its  flight  struck  Midshipman 
Perry  in  the  chest,  bowling  him  over  like  a  nrt*€- 
pin.  The  commander  raised  him  from  the  deck,  and 
then,  to  his  joy,  found  that  the  lad  was  not  even 
.stunned.  Looking  again  across  the  water,  he  saw 
that  the  Niagara,  although  nearer,  was  not  coming 
on  fast  enough.     An  idea  seized  him. 

"  Lower   away   that    motto    flag   from    the    main- 


70 


THE   HERO  OF  ERIE. 


mast!"  he  shouted,  and  hurriedly  he  ran  to  the  taflf- 
rail  and  looked  over.  A  little  yawl  that  had  been 
towing  astern  was  still  floating  there,  with  her  oars  in 
her,  as  yet  uninjured.  He  ran  forward, 
and  found  Yarnell  leaning  against  the  heel 
of  the  bowsprit; 

"  Have  you  any  men  able  to  pull  an 
oar?  "  he  asked  the  lieutenant. 

Yarnell  drew  himself  erect  and  looked 
back  at  what  was  left  of  the  crew.  Only 
nine  men  were  unwounded. 

"  What  are  you  going  to  do,  sir?  *' 
Yarnell  asked. 

"  I  am  going  to  transfer  my  flag  to 
the  Niagara,"  was  Perry's  quick  reply. 
"  I'll  fetch  him  up." 

The  little  boat  was  brought  along- 
side. The  British,  seeing  the  motto  flag 
conie  down  from  the  masthead,  slack- 
ened in  their  fire.  Four  of  the  able- 
bodied  men  slid  down  into  the  little  boat. 
Perry  wrapped  the  motto  flag  around 
his  arm,  and  then  he  turned  to  Yarnell 
again: 

"  I  leave  you  in  command  of  the  ship, 


Sword  worn  by 
Com.  Perry 

at  the  battle  of 
Lake  Erie. 


Sir. 


"  Very  good,  sir,"  the  lieutenant  re- 
plied, saluting;  "  I  shall  do  my  best." 


-.;..,jj;„i-^.^-^^f,JjffV>;-ij|;igjS^.-'- 


They  say  that  it  has  been  done  before.  His- 
torians tell  us  that  in  the  battle  of  Solebay  the 
Duke  of  York  shifted  his  flag;  and  in  the  battle  of 
the  Texel,  in  1673,  the  British  Admiral  Sprague 
shifted  his  flag  twice,  and  was  drowned  in  attempt- 
ing to  shift  it  a  third  time.  The  great  Dutchman 
Van  Tromp,  in  this  same  action,  transferred  his  flag 
also.  But  precedent  does  not  detract  in  the  least 
from  valorous  deeds.  When  the  British  saw  the  big 
flag  come  down  from  the  masthead  they  set  up  a 
most  tremendous  cheering,  thinking  that  at  last  their 
dogged  adversary  had  given  up;  but  when  they  saw 
the  little  rowboat  speed  out  from  the  enveloping 
cloud  of  smoke,  they  opened  fire  again,  directing 
their  batteries  and  their  musketry  at  her. 

Perry  stood  erect  in  the  stern,  the  flag  flutter- 
ing about  him.     Charges  of  grape  spattered  across 
the  bow  and  stem.     Round  shot  clipped  the  water 
but   a   few   feet   away,    dashing   the    spray    into   the 
faces  of  the  men  bending  at  the  oars.     Two  of  the 
men  in  the  sternsheets  absolutely  pulled  their  com- 
mander down  from  his  exposed  position,  and  all  un- 
harmed they  swept  in  under  the  counter  of  the  Niag- 
ara, whose  cheering  crew  had  been  watching  them. 
As  Perry  gained  the  deck  he  turned  back  and  looked 
at  the  Lawrence,  and  as  he  did  so  the  chamel  ship 
with  her  crew  of  five  hauled  down  her  flag  that  had 
been  flying  at  the  peak.    She  could  fight  no  more. 


Si 

-J 

i 


, 


i 


i 


:  I 


'^i>'ff'''fi'f'f''^'!fft!'Tf^'9'''^^^^ 


iri'in~i\ui^im 


jjiffnMr^twmiwmmx  -i 


■TiBrra»fej 


CHAPTER  VIII. 


WITHOUT   FEAR   OR   FAVOR. 


Elliot  grasped  Perry's  hand. 

"  Thank  God,  you're  safe,  sir!  "  he  said.  "  But 
what  a  noble  fight  you  made  of  it! " 

"  There  are  but  few  of  my  brave  men  left,"  Perry 
returned,  "  but  very  few  of  them.  Let  us  take  all  the 
advantage  of  this  breeze  we  can.  Order  close  action. 
Bend  on  this  flag  to  the  color  halyards,  and  hoist  it  to 
the  masthead." 

Proudly  the  emblem  rose  and  tossed  out  to  the  air. 
No  ship  could  surrender  with  those  immortal  words 
flying  above  her. 

Elliot  spoke  quickly  again  as  the  commander  al- 
most groaned  at  seeing  that  the  gunboats  were  out 
of  striking  distance. 

"  Grant  me  permission,  sir,"  he  said,  "  and  I  will 
go  back  in  a  boat  and  try  to  hurry  them  along." 

No  sooner  was  it  asked  than  granted,  and  Elliot, 
as  his  superior  had  done,  set  out  to  bring  the  gun- 
boats into  action.     He  used  the  same  boat  that  had 

brought  Peny  from  the  Lawrence. 
73 


"J  J*«*.s      -«t.,S~  — 


-„  u  aiU'"«siiiSS.^afi.*l 


tm 


'But 

*erry 
1  the 
tion. 
it  to 

;  air. 
'ords 

r  al- 
out 

will 

lliot, 
gun- 
had 


The  Englishmen,  who  were  cheering  again  after  the 
flagship  had  lowered  her  ensign,  soon  gave  over,  for 
out  of  the  smoke  that  was  drifting  down  toward  the 
Yankee  fieet  came  the  Niagara,  with  Perry  in  com- 
mand. It  was  no  half-crippled,  shattered  hulk  they 
had  to  face.  Straight  for  their  line  the  brig  bore  on. 
After  her  came  the  Somers,  the  Scorpion,  and  the 
smaller  vessels,  working  their  sweeps,  nnd  the  men 
shouting  as  they  redoubled  their  efforts  lo  be  up  with 
their  leader.  It  seemed  as  if  every  one  was  given 
giants'  strength.  The  spectators  on  shore,  who  had 
been  watching  the  action  in  great  suspense,  began  toss- 
ing their  hats  into  the  air. 

The  presence  of  the  commodore  on  board  the  Ni- 
agara stirred  her  crew  to  cheers. 

"  We  are  all  right  now!  "  exclaimed  a  grizzled  old 
veteran  who  had  followed  deep  water  since  he  was  old 
enough  to  lift  an  oar — "we're  all  right  now,  and  the 
old  man  brought  the  breeze  with  him!  Soon  we'll 
have  the  little  barkers  talking."  He  slapped  the 
breech  of  the  gun  playfully.  The  captain  of  a  ship 
is  always  called  the  "  old  man  "  by  his  crew,  a  term  of 
half  endearment.  There  was  no  disrespect  meant  by 
the  old  sailor,  for  at  that  very  moment  he  would  have 
laid  down  his  life  for  the  tall  young  figure  on  the 
quarter-deck. 

Perry's  eyes  were  sparkling,  but  he  gave  his  orders 
in  the  low,  even  tones  that  a  sailor  man  knows  and 


% 


; 


'-• 


■■i!!!ifg"!,.U.JI,JJ!j,!a 


f'ljjiM.J.J' 


^li 


74 


THE   HERO  OF   ERIE. 


b 


I 


recognizes  so  well,  as  those  of  one  who  is  a  masier 
of  himself  and  a  leatler  of  others. 

'  See! "  suddenly  exclaimed  young  Midshipman 
Perry,  looking  over  his  shoulder  at  his  brother  and 
pointing  out  across  the  water.  Perry  stooped  and 
looked  beneath  the  curving  sweep  of  the  foresail,  and 
a  smile  crossed  his  face. 

"Look  at  that  brave  fellov/  Yarnell!"  he  said 
proudly  to  one  of  the  officers  standing  near  him. 
"See  there!  he  has  drifted  away  from  the  fleet  and 
hoisted  his  Hag  again." 

Sure  enough,  the  Lawrence  had  her  colors  once 
more  at  the  peak.  Brave  Yar  lell!  Weakened  by  his 
wounds  and  suffering  intense  pain,  with  a  shipload 
of  dead  and  dying  men,  no  sooner  had  he  perceived 
that  the  British  did  not  intend  to  board  him  than  with 
his  own  hands  he  raised  the  flag.  How  the  words  of 
Lawrence  must  have  been  imprinted  upon  the  minds 
of  the  men  of  the  Erie  fleet!  They  had  them  on  the 
motto  flag,  and  they  had  them  deeply  written  on  their 
hearts. 

Perhaps  the  immortal  words  were  the  only  things 
that  Yarnell  could  think  of.  "  Don't  give  up  the  ship!  " 
he  kept  repeating,  and  he  had  determined  that  while 
he  lived  that  flag  should  wave. 

"I  was  shipmate  with  Yarnell  for  three  years," 
spoke  one  of  the  younger  officers,  "and  once  I 
quarrelled    with    him.      He    is    a    brave    fellow.      I 


<* 


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IMAGE  EVALUATION 
TEST  TARGET  (MT-3) 


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Microfiche 

Series. 


CIHIVI/iCIVIH 
Collection  de 
microfiches. 


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Is 


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P     '3     n     ^ 

u       Oi 


JiinyiJllllJlpJli^Jll 


WITHOUT   FEAR  OR  FAVOR. 


75 


hope  that  we  both  are  spared,  that  I  may  ask  his 
pardon." 

But  there  was  little  time  for  conversation.  There 
was  soon  to  be  hot  work  indeed. 

The  English  fleet  had  begun  to  maneuwr,  and 
were  heading  this  way  and  that  in  obedience  to  the 
signals  of  their  flagship.  They  were  endeavoring  to 
get  in  line  to  receive  tl;e  onslaught  of  the  American 
squadron.  Perry  left  the  quarter-deck  and  hurried  to 
the  forecastle.  They  were  almost  within  range,  and 
yet  not  a  gun  had  been  fired.  The  smoke  of  the  pre- 
vious action  with  the  Lawrence  had  blown  av/ay,  and 
lay  like  a  thin  mist  over  the  water  to  leeward.  The 
fickle  wind  again  had  shifted  and  caught  some  of  the 
English  vessels  all  aback.  The  Niagara  took  advan- 
tage of  it  and  bore  up  a  little.  Her  broadside  guns 
covered  the  nearest  English  ships.  The  old  sailor  who 
had  spoken  to  his  comrades  when  the  commodore 
had  come  on  board  almost  groaned.  He  squinted 
along  the  barrel  of  the  long  twelve-pounder  and  low- 
ered the  breech  a  little.     Perry  observed  the  motion. 

"  Have  you  the  range  there,  Judson?  "  he  called 
out. 

"Aye,  aye,  sir,  that  I  have!"  the  old  tar  replied, 
blushing  that  the  commodore  had  remembered  his 
name.    "  I  think  I  can  cripple  her,  sir! " 

The  Queen  Charlotte,  whose  crew  -were  working 
like  ants  endeavoring  to  bring  her  head  around,  was 


!iii 


^^* 


^h 


i 

(J 


1 


It.) 


J]ai|t!lHi!JE.i). 


<sam. 


THE   HERO  OF  ERIE. 


I  i 


Ir  »: 


gathering  sternway.  Just  abaft  her  quarter  was  the 
Detroit,  and  she  also  seemed  in  difikulties.  A  quick 
glance  told  Perry  that  the  forward  starboard  gun  was 
in  position  to  do  great  .damage,  but  there  was  not  an 
accent  of  excitement  in  his  voice  as  he  turned  quickly. 

"  You  may  fire,  Judson,"  he  said;  and  scarcely  had 
he  spoken  when  the  forecastle  was  shrouded  in  smoke, 
and  at  the  roar  of  the  gun  every  man  looked  to  see 
the  effect  of  the  shot. 

Often  and  often  has  it  been  proved  that  defeat  or 
victory  hinged  upon  one  movement  or  one  single 
well-directed  effort,  and  people  term  it  "  luck."  Per- 
haps in  some  cases  it  may  be,  but,  if  so,  good  fortune 
had  squinted  along  the  barrel  of  Judson's  gun. 

The  ball  carried  away  one  of  the  stays,  and  crip- 
pled some  of  the  running  rigging  in  such  a  manner 
that  the  Queen  Charlotte's  fore-topsail  went  back 
against  the  mast,  and  before  the  Detroit  could  get 
out  of  the  way  the  flagship  had  run  afoul  of  her.  They 
ranged  side  by  side,  the  stem  of  one  lying  close  to 
the  stern  of  the  other.  The  yards  became  twisted  in 
the  shrouds,  and  the  running  gear  that  was  let  go 
suddenly  fouled  so  completely  that  soon  they  were 
locked  together  and  hopelessly  entangled. 

Now  was  the  time  for  action.  Perry  hastened 
back  to  the  quarter-deck. 

"  Hold  your  fire!  hold  your  fire!"  he  cried  to  the 
impatient  gunners  who  were  waiting  for  the  word. 


nessftflfi; 


ii'';''if^, 


..-■^f 

m 


'f. 


WITHOUT  FEAR  OR  FAVOR. 


11 


"  It  was  a  good  shot,  Danl "  exclaimed  one  of  the 
younger  sailors  to  the  old  veteran. 

"  God  is  with  us  this  day,"  put  in  a  tall  New-Eng- 
lander.    "  He's  fighting  on  our  side." 

Perry  spoke  a  few  words  to  the  quartermaster  at 
the  wheel.  Nearer  and  nearer  the  Niagara  ranged. 
The  blows  of  the  axes  in  the  har>r|5  of  the  men  who 
were  trying  to  separate  the  E*.^..  .i  vessels  could  be 
distinctly  heard,  and  the  voices  ot  the  officers  urging 
them  on.  It  almost  seemed  as  if  the  Niagara  would 
soon  be  afoul  of  the  others,  so  close  was  she  ranging. 
The  thump  of  the  handspikes  on  the  deck  as  the  men 
brought  their  guns  to  bear,  and  the  flapping  of  the 
great  maintopsails  that  had.  come  back  against  the 
mast,  added  to  the  sounds  that  came  from  the  Eng- 
lish vessels.  They  were  now  but  two  points  forward 
of  the  beam,  and  in  another  instant  Perry  had  given 
the  word. 

No  broadside  that  had  been  poured  into  the  poor 
defenseless  Lawrence  had  been  as  destructive  as  that 
that  leaped  from  the  Niagara's  side.  The  crushing 
force  of  the  heavy  short-range  guns  was  seen.  Splin- 
ters flew  and  g^eat  gashes  were  ripped  in  the  bow  and 
stern  of  the  Detroit  and  the  Queen.  Whole  charges 
and  grapeshot  swept  the  crowded  decks.  It  was  one 
of  those  dreadful  transformation  scenes  that  have  hap- 
pened and  always  will  happen  in  battle.  The  stricken 
ships  shivered  beneath  the  blows.     The  bi.sy  axes 


■•  ii 


'si 


'  .". 


■  ■       -  ... 


wmmmmmmmsmmmmmaammm^- 


r.;r 


:*^ 


78 


THE  HERO  OF  ERIE. 


ceased.  The  shrieks  and  groans  rose.  A  young  officer 
who  had  been  aloft  fell  heavily  from  the  foretop  to 
the  deck.     From  a  crowd  of  men  on  the  forecastle 


Diagram  of  the  battle,  No.  a. 

only  one  or  two  managed  to  scramble  to  their  fi?et, 
badly  wounded.  A  grim  look  was  on  the  faces  of  the 
Yankee  gunners. 

"  That  for  the  Lawrence! "  exclaimed  old  Jud- 
son. 

Perry  had  remained  unmoved.  He  spoke  a  few 
quiet  words  to  one  of  the  lieutenants.  The  men 
sprang  to  the  braces  and  heaved  the  yards  around. 

On  the  Niagara  swept,  heading  for  the  Lady  Pro- 
vost, that  lay  but  a  short  distance  off  to  port.  "  Here 
come  the  little  ones! "  exclaimed  one  of  the  officers, 


,:*«:■ 


msssmoMuaammjaa^Ki 


.^  ^ 

llMHiH 

_ 

"  •'.''■'.'.■.'•I 

■;.;■-'   t 

'-  -.   ■  ■ 

fficer 

-'i!"'. 

>p  to 
castle 

-■§^' 

'■'  '\J 

•;'V'^* 

.  ;•:■'■.  * 

*.' 

■-\v" 

'■':''. 

• 

• 

r  feet, 
of  the 

'■■-'* 

Jud- 

.          :^C\. 

-*■ 

a  few 
men 

4nd. 
f  Pro- 

'•  ':*:/v:--1 

'Here 

fficers, 

■^ 

i           •..„':■■  V,  - 

(1 

wmmm'^"-^ 


wm 


l"^-^V^^'V'?:v^ 


WITHOUT   FEAR  OR  FAVOR. 


79 


pointing  back  over  the  taffrail.  "  Here's  Turner  in  the 
Caledonia! " 

The  Yankee  cheers  filled  the  air  as  the  smaller 
craft  came  into  action.  They  followed  close  upon  the 
heels  of  the  Niagara,  and  as  each  one  passed  the  Eng- 
lish ships  she  let  go  her  little  broadside.  Well  were 
those  guns  served  and  aimed!  Just  as  the  Porcupine 
passed  by  there  came  a  crash,  and  the  mainmast  of 
the  Detroit  fell,  bringing  down  everything  in  its  wake, 
and  a  few  seconds  afterward  the  mizzenmast  of  the 
Queen  Charlotte  fell  also. 

The  port  broadside  of  the  Niagara  now  spoke  in 
earnest,  and  the  Lady  Provost  reeled  from  the  shot 
that  swept  her  from  stem  to  bow.  The  little  British 
gunboat  Hunter  was  destined  to  be  the  next  vic- 
tim, but  just  as  the  gunners  were  training  their  pieces 
upon  her  a  British  officer  in  full  uniform  mounted  the 
bulwarks.  He  waved  a  white  flag  at  the  end  of  a 
pikestaff,  and  at  the  same  time  down  fluttered  the 
English  ensign. 

"  Cease  firing! "  came  the  order  from  the  quarter- 
deck. But  a  few  shots  from  any  of  the  English  vessels 
had  reached  the  Niagara,  although  she  had  not  es- 
caped unscathed.  A  round  shot  from  one  of  the  bow 
guns  of  the  English  flagship  had  killed  two  men,  and 
twenty-five  of  her  crew  had  been  wounded  by  splinters 
and  musket  balls. 

As  the  haze  of  smoke  cleared  away,  it  was  seen 


i  ■ 


A>: 


wmm 


#f 


m\M»mmmmmfmmiimim 


1,1 


1 


80 


THE  HERO  OF   ERIE. 


that  the  two  remaining  Englishmen  were  doing  their 
best  to  escape.  They  had  crowded  on  all  sail  and 
were  making  off  as  fast  as  they  could. 

"  There  go  the  Chippewa  and  Little  Belt  ! " 
Perry  exclaimed ;  "  but  see,  the  Scorpion  and  the 
Trippe  are  hot  after  them!  " 

It  was  an  exciting  race  to  watch.  There  was 
plenty  to  do  in  clearing  away  the  wreckage  and  look- 
ing after  the  dead  and  wounded,  but  every  now  and 
then  the  men  would  steal  a  glance  at  the  fleeing 
vessels  and  their  pursuers.  Every  minute  the  latter 
were  gaining,  and  when  it  was  perceived  that  they 
would  soon  head  them  the  sailors  on  the  Niagara 
and  the  rest  of  the  fleet  began  to  cheor  again. 
"  There  the  Scorpion  speaks!  "  exclaimed  an  old  sailor. 
"  And  the  Trippe  isn't  far  behind  her! "  put  in  an- 
other. 

The  captains  of  the  Little  Belt  and  the  Chippewa 
saw  the  game  was  up,  and,  after  the  interchange  of  a 
few  shots,  down  came  their  flags.  The  victory  was 
complete.  The  power  of  the  English  upon  the  lakes 
had  vanished.    The  borderland  was  safe! 

Perry  gazed  out  over  the  water  as  the  smoke 
cleared  away.  He  recognized  all  the  importance  of 
what  had  been  accomplished.  He  realized  that  with 
one  bound  he  had  achieved  fame,  and  yet  well  he 
knew  at  what  cost  it  was  and  what  a  price  his  brave 
men  had  paid.     Gazing  off  to  the  southward,  he  saw 


leir 
itid 

!" 
I  the 


9 


c     K 

be    t^ 
c     ? 


I 


'i,tBmx>' 


I  liMim  1 1     ^mmmmmmmi 


■MM 


mmmttft 


WITHOUT   FEAR  OR  FAVOR. 


8i 


the  wreck  of  the  Lawrence,  and  noticed  again  with 
a  flush  of  pride  that  her  flag  was  flying. 

The  stillness  seemed  uncanny  after  the  furious 
clamor  of  the  guns.  The  occasional  groan  of  a 
wounded  man,  the  sound  of  axes,  and  the  voices  of 
officers  shouting  orders  alone  broke  the  stillness.  A 
thought  crossed  Perry's  mind  :  By  every  right,  the 
principal  honor  of  the  victory  belonged  to  the  tattered 
hulk  that  had  so  long  borne  the  brunt  of  the  battle 
alone!  He  turned  to  an  officer  who  was  standing 
close  by  him. 

"  Call  away  a  boat,"  he  said  quietly,  "  and  put  me 
on  board  the  Lawrence.  I  will  receive  the  surrender 
there." 

A  feeble  cheer  greeted  him  as  he  reached  the  flag- 
ship's side.  Wounded  men  crawled  to  the  ports  and 
weakly  raised  themselves  at  the  rail.  Tears  filled  the 
young  commander's  eyes  as  he  stepped  upon  the  deck. 
There  had  been  no  time  to  clear  away  the  dibris  and 
wreckage,  nor  even  to  take  care  and  move  all  the 
wounded  below.  The  heaps  of  slain,  some  frightfully 
mangled,  crowded  the  deck.  With  the  .assistance  of 
the  crew  of  the  boat  that  had  rowed  the  commodore 
oflf,  a  shred  of  sail  was  made  upon  the  foremast,  but 
it  was  found  impossible  to  gain  steerage  way,  and  the 
attempt  was  abandoned. 

Lieutenant  Yamell  and  Surgeon  Parsons  had  met 
Perry    as    he    clambered    over    the    side.      "  I    have 


->M 


:^ 


ft 


THE   HERO  OF   ERIE. 


V 


t, 


come  back  to  the  old  ship,"  said  the  young  com- 
mander. 

"Thank  God,  you  have  been  saved  to  us!"  ex- 
claimed Yarnell. 

Perry  turned  to  him.  "  And  I  thank  God,  too," 
he  said,  "  to  find  that  you  are  living  to  share  the  vic- 
tory. When  I  saw  that  you  had  hoisted  your  flag 
again  I  knew  that  we  would  be  successful." 

At  this  moment  a  boat  from  the  Caledonia  came 
alongside,  and  an  officer  reported.  As  he  looked 
about  him  he  turned  pale.  The  rest  of  the  fleet  had 
not  known  how  dreadful  had  been  the  struggle  that 
the  Lawrence  had  gone  through.  "  Are  you  going  to 
receive  the  surrender  here,  sir?  "  he  asked,  saluting. 

"  I  am,"  was  Perry's  reply.  "  Will  you  pass  the 
word  to  the  captured  vessels? " 

The  officer  hastened  to  his  boat.  It  was  with  a 
sigh  of  relief  that  he  put  off  from  the  side.  The  ship 
was  full  of  the  groans  that  came  from  the  crowded 
cockpit.  Usher  Parsons  returned  below  to  his  work. 
Never  could  that  sight  leave  the  minds  of  any  one 
who  witnessed  it.  Overhead  the  sky  was  blue  and 
clear,  all  the  smoke  had  disappeared,  and  over  the 
dimpled  waters  of  the  lake  the  vessels  floated,  hud- 
dled near  to  one  another.  It  was  like  the  lull  and 
stillness  that  follow  a  tremCi^-dous  storm.  Perry 
walked  to  the  rail.  The  greatest  day  of  his  life  had 
come  and  passed.    The  thoughts  that  filled  his  mind 


'»' 


) 


im- 


the 


■ffi'!,].. 


WITHOUT    FEAR  OR   FAVOR. 


»s 


crows-'id  one  upon  another  in  quick  succession,  but 
one  was  uppermost.  It  was  not  a  vainglorious  ex- 
ultation, but  a  thankfulness  for  deliverance  from  dan- 
ger and  a  wide,  great  love  for  the  men  who  had  shared 
it  with  him  and  who  had  suffered  and  died  for  their 
country's  sake. 

But  now  the  whole  fleet  was  drifting  down  nearer 
and  nearer,  and  soon  boats  put  off  from  the  English 
vessels,  and  in  the  stern  sheets  sat  officers  bearing 
their  side  arms  in  their  hands.  Never  could  they  for- 
get the  sight  that  greeted  them  as  they  came  to  the 
Lawrence's  deck.  She  was  filled  with  the  groans  of 
the  wounded  below,  above  which  sounded  the  mourn- 
ful wailing  of  a  little  dog  confined  somewhere  in  the 
hold.  A  group  of  silent  men  watched  the  officers  come 
on  board.  Near  the  wheel  stood  Perry.  His  pale 
face  was  set,  but  with  no  look  ot  riumph  or  elation. 
His  arms  were  folded,  and  as  each  officer  approached 
and  offered  his  sword  in  token  of  submission,  the  hero 
of  Erie  bowed  slightly. 

"  I  request  that  you  will  keep  your  sword,  sir," 
he  said  to  each.    "  It  has  been  bravely  used  and  worn." 

The  ceremony  was  short,  for  there  was  much  ^.o 
be  done.  The  English  officers  were  anxious  to  get 
away;  even  a  prison  would  be  better  than  being  on 
board  that  charnel  ship.  Some  were  so  overcome  that 
they  shut  their  eyes,  and  one  commander,  a  man  of 
experience  and  usec'i  to  war's  dreadful  necessities,  stag- 


1 


m 


''C'teJ'"''!itiJ8tei'i!S!^*-'""- 


■  %.rji,»rj,>^4^.yT^^j<yi- II  -  yiirfl#i'ii]jiu»j|ii  [111 ill i,,iii'fi: 


i 


! 


utaammm 


THE  HERO  OF  ERIE. 


gered  weakly  to  the  side.  He  supported  himself 
against  the  bulwarks.  It  is  safe  to  state  that  never 
before  nor  since  had  such  terrible  slaughter  taken  place 
on  board  a  ship  of  any  navy.  But  as  the  news  of  the 
victory  was  spreadirg  below  in  the  crowded  cockpit, 
all  the  wounded  had  displayed  signs  of  gratification; 
and  when  the  surgeon  had  brought  the  word  that  all 
the  enemy  had  struck,  the  brave  fellows  tried  to  raise 
their  voices  in  response.  Years  afterward,  when  Usher 
Parsons  was  an  old  man,  he  spoke  as  follows:  "The 
idea  that  Perry  was  sa'j  seemed  to  reconcile  every  man 
to  his  own  suffering,  but  I  can  never  forget  the  scene. 
The  deck  was  slippery  with  blood,  and  strewed  with 
the  bodies  of  more  than  twenty  officers  and  men, 
some  of  whom  had  sat  at  table  with  us  at  our  last 
meal,  and  the  ship  resounded  with  the  groans  of  the 
wounded.  Those  of  us  who  were  spared  and  able  to 
walk  met  him  at  the  gangway  tc  welcome  him  on 
board,  but  the  salutation  was  a  silent  one — no  one 
could  utter  but  a  word.  And  now  the  British  officers 
arrived,  one  from  each  vessel,  to  tender  their  submis- 
sion and  with  it  their  swords.  I  remember  as  they  ap- 
proached they  picked  their  way  among  the  wreck  and 
carnage,  extending  the  hilts  of  their  side  arms  toward 
Perry,  tendering  them  for  his  acceptance.  With  a 
dignified  and  solemn  air,  and  in  a  low  tone  of  voice, 
he  requested  ^hem  to  retain  their  side  arms,  inquired  in 
deep  concern  for  Commodore  Barclay  and  the  wounded 


^iJtMaAJWieiassi^^^^ 


■pffPffpmpwPiPit' 


H^- 


WITHOUT  FEAR  OR  FAVOR. 


>S 


officers,  tendering  them  every  comfort  his  ship  afforded, 
and  expressing  his  regret  that  he  had  not  a  spare  medical 
officer  to  send  them;  that  he  had  only  one  on  duty  for 
the  fleet,  and  that  one  had  his  hands  full." 

As  soon  as  the  last  British  officer  left  the  Law- 
rence, Perry  called  young  Midshipman  Forrest  to  him. 
It  was  important  that  the  news  of  this  victory  should 
reach  the  ears  of  the  general  commanding  the  Ameri- 
can troops  on  shore  as  soon  ao  possible.  To  be  the 
bearer  of  such  a  dispatch  was  a  coveted  honor,  and 
Perry  had  not  chosen  amiss  in  thus  selecting  and  re- 
warding a  lad  who  had  displayed  such  courage  and 
coolness  in  action. 

Removing  his  heavy  hat  and  placing  it  on  his  knee, 
Perry  searched  through  his  pockets  for  some  paper 
on  which  to  write  the  message.  He  found  nothing 
but  an  old  letter.  Tearing  off  the  back,  he  hastily 
scribbled  the  following  note — one  that  has  become  his- 
toric, and  that  will  always  live  as  a  model  of  moder- 
ate and  humble  expression: 

U.  S.  BRIG  Niagara,  ofp  the  Western  Sister, 

HEAD  OP  T.AKE   EkIE, 

September  to,  i8ij,  at  4  p,  m. 

"  Dear  General:  We  have  met  the  enemy  and 
they  are  ours.  Two  ships,  two  brigs,  one  schooner, 
aiid  one  sloop. 

"  Yours,  with  great  respect  and  esteem, 

"O.  H.  Perry." 


-  \  \ 


■'^MSM^^^IkMi^mH  s'l^'s^^itamSSt^m 


'i  '^^iiMy^xi&SMki^ 


•d0' 


^-^dM 


86 


THE   HERO  OF  ERIE. 


Young  Forrest  took  this  note  and  started  in  c 
small  boat  for  the  shore.  It  was  dead  calm  now  on 
the  lake,  and  the  moon  rose  early.  It  looked  down 
upon  a  strange  scene.  Perry  had  wisely  determined, 
before  sailing  back  to  harbor,  to  clear  away  as  much 
of  the  wreckage  and  signs  of  the  carnage  as  possible. 
The  dead  were  made  ready  for  burial  in  the  waters 
of  the  lake,  and,  after  a  short  service,  English  and 
American  were  sent  off  together,  each  wrapped  in  a 
sailor's  shroud  of  a  hammock  with  a  round  shot  at  his 
heels.  The  dead  officers  were  placed  in  roughly  con- 
structed coffins  to  be  brought  ashore  for  more  cere- 
monious burial. 

But  let  us  look  at  the  reports  of  the  losses  sus- 
tained by  both  sides  during  this  action:  The  Lawrence 
flagship  had  twenty-two  killed  and  sixty-one  wounded; 
the  Niagara,  two  killed  and  twenty-five  wounded; 
the  Scorpion,  two  killed;  the  Ariel,  one  killed  and 
three  wounded;  the  Caledonia,  three  wounded;  the 
Somers,  two  wounded;  the  Trippe,  two  wounded — in 
all,  twenty-seven  were  killed  outright  and  ninety-six 
were  wounded,  which  foots  up  to  a  total  of  one  hun- 
dred and  twer  iy-three.  When  we  subtract  from  this 
the  loss  sustained  on  board  the  Lawrence,  we  per- 
ceive how  slight  were  the  injuries  of  the  others,  and 
what  a  part  she  bore  in  the  action. 

The  British  loss  was  even  greater  in  the  aggre- 
gate than  the  American,  being  forty-one  killed  and 


:M 


mmmimmmMV-'-  ^  ^''J  '"WWii"' 


I 


i-i 


V 

a. 


WPSm^: 


im'^?^':t-'^'^4i'iz:^'iM&:swmah^kkm;m¥mi 


'"'w^MS' 


iW 


l.»|l^l»||j|l|INI|.|,llJ|J||Jtl||jjp||||||| 


WITHOUT   FEAR  OR  FAVOR. 


87 


s.-'/ 


u 
3, 


^ 


f 


s 


ninety-four  wounded,  a  total  of  one  1  -  ired  and 
thirty-five.  All  the  unwounded  prisoners  v,"rr  placed 
on  board  the  Porcupine  and  were  landed  at  Cannon 
River. 

Perry  endeared  himself  to  the  foe  by  the  manner 
in  which  he  personally  superintended  arranging  for 
the  care  of  the  wounded  and  the  comfort  of  the  pris- 
oners. Brave  Commodore  Barclay  had  kept  on  deck 
throughout  the  engagement,  but  he  had  sufifered  se- 
verely. His  right  arm  had  been  lost  years  before 
while  fighting  under  Nelson,  and  the  sleeve  was  pinned 
across  his  chest.  In  the  early  part  of  the  action  he 
had  been  wounded  in  the  thigh,  and  shortly  afterward 
by  a  musket  ball  in  the  left  shoulder,  that  rendered 
him  absolutely  incapable  of  taking  care  of  himself. 
He  could  scarcely  stand,  and  now  both  arms  were  use- 
less. But  the  brave  man's  spirit  kept  him  going.  His 
indomitable  will  did  not  fail  him.  Perry  had  given  up 
his  own  cabin  to  the  wounded  leader,  and  from  the 
very  first  displayed  a  keen  desire  to  do  anything  in 
his  power  to  alleviate  his  sufferings.  On  the  12th, 
after  the  fleet  had  landed  the  wounded,  there  was 
held  a  ceremony  that  is  a  tradition  in  Put-in-Bay,  and 
there  is  yet  living  in  Detroit  a  man  who  remembers 
having  witnessed  it  as  a  boy.  Thus  often  are  we  linked 
back  by  one  life  to  affairs  and  doings  that  appear  an- 
cient history  almost,  or  at  least  are  claimed  by  the 
misty  long  ago.    The  burial  of  the  officers  must  have 


,'9 


w^^ 


u 


THE  HERO  OF  ERIE. 


■  ! 


L  /en  a  scene  long  to  be  remembered.  Preceded  by 
a  band  of  music  playing  a  funeral  march  came  the 
funeral  cortege,  bearing  the  six  coffins  containing  the 
bodies  of  three  American  and  three  British  officers: 
Midshipman  Henry  Laub,  Midshipman  John  Clark, 
and  the  gallant  Lieutenant  Brooks,  whose  death  we 
have  recorded;  Captain  Finnis  and  Lieutenant  Stokes 
of  the  Queen  Charlotte,  and  Lieutenant  Garland  of  the 
Detroit.  Before  the  landing  had  been  made  there  had 
been  a  procession  of  boats,  rowing  minute  strokes, 
and,  as  an  eyewitness  describes  it,  "  the  slow  and  regu- 
lar motion  of  the  oars,  striking  in  exact  time  with  the 
notes  of  the  solemn  dirge,  the  mournful  waving  of 
flags,  and  the  sound  of  minute  guns  from  the  ships 
presented  a  striking  contrast  to  the  scene  of  two  days 
before,  when  both  the  living  and  the  dead,  now  form- 
ing in  this  solemn  and  fraternal  train,  were  engaged  in 
fierce  and  bloody  strife."  • 

As  they  marched  to  the  place  of  burial  the  crews 
of  both  fleets  followed  the  mourning  officers,  and  when 
they  rang:;d  about  the  graves  there  was  to  be  seen  a 
peculiar  sight.  Master-Commandant  Perry,  the  hero 
of  Erie,  stood  there,  supporting  with  his  arm  the 
wounded  and  shattered  figure  of  Commodore  Barclay, 
who  leaned  heavily  against  him.  The  brave  officer 
had  insisted  upon  attending  the  ceremony,  and  after 
it  was  all  over  he  was  taken  to  Perry's  quarters,  where 
the  latter  waited  upon  him  personally,  and  sat  by  his 


•*SaS£:!t«*fe-:--. 


■I 


Mi 


^ 


—^mmm 


mm^i^fm' 


mmii.  III."  ■null  >mmmmimmmmmKimmmmR>''im 


by 


WITHOUT   FEAR  OR  FAVOR. 


bedside  half  the  night.  War  is  a  dreadful  thing,  but 
it  does  not  necessarily  mean  a  hatred  of  an  honest 
enemy.  Often  admiration  for  the  generosity  or  brav- 
ery of  an  adversary  calls  up  feelings  akin  to  love  and 
affection. 


«Hi 


mn 


\ 


CHAPTER  IX. 


'li:K 


A  SAILOR   ON   HORSEBACK. 

After  a  battle  has  been  fought  there  come  to 
light  many  incidents  and  occurrences  that  are  not 
noticed  during  the  heat  of  action,  and  sometimes  they 
escape  the  attention  of  even  the  careful  historian. 
Little  details  that  are  of  great  interest  can  not  be 
spoken  of  in  describing  great  eflfects,  but  at  the  same 
time  ti  ey  should  not  be  allowed  to  pass  by  unno- 
ticed, although  their  consequences  are  of  not  much 
moment. 

When  the  Niagara  had  delivered  her  broadside  at 
the  Lady  Provost,  it  had  swept  the  decks  and  so  dis- 
heartened the  crew  that  all  had  run  b«;low — all  but 
one  man,  dressed  in  the  uniform  of  a  lieutenant,  and, 
strange  to  say,  he  stood  there  calmly  in  the  compan- 
ion way,  with  his  chin  resting  on  his  hand,  gazing 
fixedly  at  the  Niagara  as  she  passed.  What  it  meant 
no  one  knew  at  the  time,  but  afterward  it  was  ascer- 
tained that  he  was  Lieutenant  Buchan,  and  that  a 
wound  in  the  head  from  a  musket  ball  had  deranged 

his  mind.     Thus  hr  had  stood  there  utterly  uncon- 
90 


■I 


'I'll, 


A  SAILOR  ON   HORSEBACK. 


9« 


scious  that  he  was  in  danger  and  oblivious  to  his  sur- 
roundings. 

The  English  had  enlisted  into  their  service  for 
this  battle  some  Indian  warriors  belonging  to  the 
tribes  that  they  had  hired  to  make  a  border  warfare 
against  the  Americans^  but  broadside  to  broz  'de 
was  not  their  style  of  fighting.  After  the  engage- 
ment had  begun,  they  had  "kulked  like  the  reiskins 
that  they  were,  and  had  hidden  in  the  depths  of  the 
vessel's  hold. 

Years  afterward  there  wa"  started  a  newspaper 
controversy  that  developed  great  bitterness  between 
the  personal  friends  of  Master-Commandant  Elliot 
and  those  of  Perry. 

But  the  conduct  of  the  hero  of  Erie  was  digni- 
fied, and  he  certainly  did  not  begin  the  affair,  as 
he  laid  no  charge  against  his  brother  officer  and  cer- 
tainly did  him  full  justice  in  his  detailed  report  of 
the  engagement  to  the  Secretary  of  the  Navy.  In 
fact,  his  report  is  of  such  great  interest  and  is  so  just 
and  fair  that  it  may  be  best  to  give  it  space  here. 

Perry  writes  as  follows  in  regard  to  the  conduct 
of  his  officers:  "  Lieutenant  Yarnell,  although  several 
times  wounded,  refused  to  quit  the  deck.  Midship- 
man Forrest  and  Sailing-Master  Taylor  were  of 
great  assistance  to  me.  I  have  great  pain  in  report- 
ing the  death  of  Lieutenant  John  Brooks,  of  the  ma- 
rines.   Midshipman    Henry    Laub,   of   the    Lawrence, 


"-4 


i 


J 


.^J;^  .•..;,, 


93 


THE  HERO  OF  ERIE. 


und  John  Clark,  of  the  Scorpion;  they  were  valuable 
and  promising  officers.  Samuel  Hambleton,  purser, 
who  volunteered  his  services  on  deck,  was  severely 
wounded  late  in  the  action.  Midshioman  Thomas 
Claxton  and  Augustus  Swartwout,  of  the  Lawrence, 
were  severely  wounded.  Lieutenants  Smith  and  John 
J.  Edwards  and  Midshipman  Nelson  Webster,  of  the 
Niagara,  behaved  in  a  very  handsome  manner.  Cap- 
tain J3revoort,  of  the  army,  who  acted  as  a  volunteer 
marine  in  the  Niagara,  is  an  excellent  and  brave  of- 
ficer, and  did  great  execution  with  his  musketry. 
Lieutenant  Turner,  of  the  Caledonia,  brought  that 
vessel  into  action  in  a  most  able  manner,  and  is  an 
officer  who  in  all  situations  may  be  relied  on.  The 
Ariel,  Lieutenant  Packett,  and  the  Scorpion,  Sailing- 
Master  Champlin,  were  enabled  to  get  into  action 
early,  and  were  of  great  service.  Master-Commandant 
Elliot  spoke  in  the  highest  terms  of  Humphry  Ma- 
grath,  purser,  who  had  been  dispatched  in  a  boat  on 
service  previously  to  getting  on  board  the  Niagara, 
and,  being  a  seaman,  had  rendered  essential  service 
since  the  action  by  taking  charge  of  one  of  the  prizes. 
Of  Master-Commandant  Elliot,  already  so  well  known 
to  the  Government,  it  would  be  almost  superfluous 
to  speak.  In  this  action  he  evinced  his  characteristic 
bravery  and  judgment." 

Besides  the  honor  which  was  gained  by  all  who 
had  any  connection  with  the  battle  of  the  lakes,  sub- 


*SiSW 


miijiljipjliii* 


"■VfiW?*?*. 


A  SAILOR  ON   HORSEBACK. 


93 


stantial  rewards  were  also  reaped.  Gold  medals  were 
awarded  to  Perry  and  Elliot,  silver  medals  to  each 
of  the  commissioned  officers,  and  silver  medals  also 
to  the  nearest  male  relatives  of  Lieutenant  Brooks, 
and  to  the  nearest  relatives  of  Midshipman  Henry 
Laub,  Thomas  Claxton,  and  John  Clark  were  given 
swords.  To  all  the  officers,  seamen,  and  marines  was 
awarded  an  extra  three  months'  pay,  in  addition  to 
which  Congress  voted  $225,000  prize  money  to  be 
divided  among  the  victorious  crews. 

Commodore  Chauncey,  who,  although  not  actual- 
ly in  action,  was  the  chief  in  command  on  the  lakes, 
received  $12,750;  Perry  and  Elliot  $7,150  each,  but 
Congress  supplemented  this  by  an  additional  $5,000 
to  Perry.  Each  commander  of  a  gunboat,  sailing 
master,  lieutenant,  and  lieutenant  of  marines  received 
$2,295;  midshipmen,  $811;  petty  officers,  $447;  ma- 
rines and  sailors,  $209  apiece. 

But  now  let  us  return  to  the  doings  of  Com- 
modore Perry  —  the  "  commodore  "  by  courtesy, 
for  he  still  bore  only  the  rank  of  master  comman- 
dant. 

Strange  to  say,  his  next  duty  was  on  land,  where 
he  fought  as  a  volunteer  and  aid-de-camp  to  General 
Harrison. 

Although  the  British  had  lost  all  their  vessels  in 
the  lakes,  they  were  still  in  great  force  on  the  Cana- 
dian shore,  and  until  they  had  been  dislodged  or  their 


J 


-  ■  -'A 

s 
4 

■M 
'  "J 


'Is 


■>•■■>;' 


a 


-Nm^^ 


iijiBiiMijiiiMM^^M^^ 


+  ■* 


Lr 


•■ 


94 


THE   HERO   OF   ERIE. 


organization    partially   broken    the    American    power 
could  not  be  firmly  established. 

The  English  prisoners  were  landed  at  Sandusky 
and  hurried  on  to  Chillicothe,  Ohio,  and,  as  soon  as 
the  ships  could  be  placed  in  readiness,  the  American 
troops  were  embarked  for  the  contemplated  attack 
upon  Maiden. 

On  the  22d  of  September  Commodore  Perry  landed 
twelve  hundred  infantry  on  a  imall  island  about  twelve 
miles  from  the  English  stronghold,  and  the  next  day 
they  were  embarked  and  landed  upon  the  Canadian 
shore,  near  the  town  of  Amherstburg,  which  had 
been  evacuated,  and  was  immediately  taken  posses- 
sion of.  It  was  at  once  ascertained  that  the  English 
General  Proctor  had  decided  upon  retreat.  He  had 
burned  the  fort  at  Maiden,  the  barracks,  the  navy 
yard,  and  the  public  storehouses,  and  had  started  up 
country  with  all  his  forces. 

General  Harrison  pressed  on  in  pursuit.  Proctor 
was  heading  for  the  river  Thames,  which  empties  into 
Lake  St.  Clair,  about  twenty-five  miles  above  Detroit. 

On  the  2d  of^  October  Perry  volunteered  to  be- 
come an  aid  on  General  Harrison's  staff,  and  started 
with  the  army  from  the  town  of  Sandwich  close  upon 
Proctor's  heels.  The  American  army  was  composed 
of  but  one  hundred  and  forty  regulars,  and  amounted 
in  the  aggregate  to  not  more  than  thirty-five  hundred 
trnn.     They   included   a   mounted    regiment,   under 


"■  "■^p,'.''.'''''']'''''-'- 


->'■■ 


A   SAILOR   ON    HORSEBACK. 


95 


III  sky 
)ii  as 
rican 
ittack 


command  of  the  brave  Colonel  Johnson,  who  had  made 
a  name  for  himself  in  the  wars  with  the  Indians,  and 
the  Kentucky  troops,  in  command  of  Governor  Shelby, 
a  veteran  of  the  war  of  the  Revolution,  who,  though 
well  over  sixty,  had  all  the  strength,  dash,  and  cour- 
age of  his  early  days. 

As  they  approached  the  river  Thames,  the  path 
of  the  English  forces  could  be  distinctly  noticed. 
They  had  attempted  to  destroy  everything  which 
might  help  to  support  the  pursuing  forces,  and  houses 
and  granaries  and  barns  were  left  in  smoking  ruins. 
Even  the  scanty  crops  of  grain  that  had  been  gath- 
ered in  the  fields  had  been  destroyed. 

On  the  morning  of  the  3d  the  banks  of  the  Thames 
were  reached,  and  the  army  crossed  unmolested  over 
a  rickety  old  bridge  which  Proctor  had  set  fire  to, 
but  which  had  not  been  wholly  destroyed.  But  there 
were  before  General  Harrison  the  three  branches  of 
the  river,  all  deep  and  rapid  streams,  and  it  was  not 
expected  that  they  would  pass  them  without  meeting 
some  of  the  enemy. 

Speed  in  pursuit  makes  up  for  numbers,  and,  with- 
out waiting  to  camp  or  for  the  baggage  to  arrive 
(this  had  been  brought  partly  around  by  boat),  Har- 
rison pushed  ahead  with  the  mounted  detachments, 
galloping  as  fast  as  the  horses  could  go  over  the  rough 
and  uneven  country. 

Perry,  who  had  changed  his  calling  from  that  of 


I 


I 


PRRp 


j^"3^TT^J^'ri':**-  tr^ ";' ■;! ■•'. *i'>y. *T -1  'T ■  J; ,>'?'^» f  -  '^ l^f  ?•  ,^  ■T't?^ 


9<5 


THE   HERO  OF  ERIE. 


the  seaman  to  that  cf  a  cavalryman,  had  been  for- 
tunate enough  to  secure  a  good  horse  that  had  been 
left  behind  at  Amherstburg,  possibly  by  one  of  the 
English  officers. 

It  was  h'.rd  to  tell  when  they  would  meet  the  rear 
guard  of  the  enemy.  At  any  point  in  the  valleys  or 
hillf!  they  might  be  ambushed. 

Harrison  did  not  expect  to  take  the  bridges  with- 
out resistance.  At  one  o'clock  in  the  afternoon, 
Perry,  who  was  riding  in  advance  with  one  of  the 
lieutenants,  came  over  the  brow  of  a  steep  hill,  and 
there  below  him  saw  a  small  force  of  infantry  de- 
ployed across  the  road  at  the  entrance  to  the  first 
bridge.  Some  men  were  working  with  axes  and  ex- 
temporized crowbars,  trying  to  tear  up  the  planks 
and  undermine  the  bridge  seats.  Without  waiting 
to  ascertain  whether  Proctor's  whole  army  was  drawn 
up  on  the  other  side  of  the  tall  bushes  and  trees,  Har- 
rison called  for  a  charge,  and,  with  him  and  Perry  at 
the  head,  the  mounted  regiment  swept  down.  The 
Englishmen  were  taken  by  surprise.  Scarcely  a  shot 
was  fired,  and  all  those  who  did  not  have  time  to  run 
across  were  captured.  Among  them  were  a  lieuten- 
ant of  dragoons,  eleven  privates  of  his  regiment,  and 
some  infantry. 

Onward  they  pressed  acrosc  the  dividing  lar'*.  that 
rose  gradually  between  the  valleys  of  the  branches 
•of  the  stream.     The  same  condition  of  affairs  was 


if'.   . 


^- a_ 


A  SAILOR  ON  HORSEBACK. 


97 


been  for- 
bad been 
^ne  of  the 

;t  the  rear 
valleys  or 

dges  with- 

afternoon, 

>ne  of  the 

p  hill,  and 

ifantry  de- 

o  the  first 

es  and  ex- 

the  planks 

lut  waiting 

was  drawn 

trees,  Har- 

id  Perry  at 

lown.     The 

cely  a  shot 

time  to  run 

;  a  lieuten- 

fiment,  and 

g  lar'*.  that 
le  branches 
affairs  was 


found  to  exist  at  the  next  bridge,  although  the  work 
of  destruction  had  progressed  somewhat  more.  The 
farther  end  of  it  was  in  flames,  and  but  few  of  the 
logs  that  served  for  planking  remained,  but  without 
hesitancy  the  mounted  force  swept  down.  One  or 
two  of  the  troopers  sustained  falls  by  reason  of  their 
horses'  legs  going  through  the  woodwork,  but  with 
a  cheer  they  rushed  bravely  across,  and  it  was  but 
the  work  of  a  few  minutes  to  extinguish  the  flames. 

Leaving  a  small  guard  at  the  entrance,  Harrison 
pressed  on;  but,  finding  that  he  conld  not  reach  the 
North  Fork  until  nightfall,  he  returned  and  placed 
Perry  in  charge  of  repairing  the  bridge,  after  v/hich 
he  hastened  back  to  facilitate  the  forward  movement 
of  the  rest  of  the  army.  Late  that  night  the  baggage 
arrived,  coming  up  the  river  by  boat,  and  there  camp 
was  built  and  a  strong  guard  was  established. 

As  we  have  mentioned  before,  the  British  on  the 
northwestern  frontier  had  engaged  the  services  of 
the  Canadian  Indian  troops,  and  also  of  some  of  the 
nations  who  for  a  long  time  had  been  at  war  with  the 
New  York,  the  Ohio,  and  the  Kentucky  frontiers- 
men. These  Indians  were  not  bad  fighters,  and  on 
this  occasion  they  had  for  their  leader  the  celebrated 
chief  Tecumseh,  who,  although  he  was  feared  by  his 
enemies,  the  American  whites,  bore  a  reputation  for 
honesty  and  bravery  second  to  none  of  the  great 
chieftains  who  had  given  so  much  trouble. 


n 


I 


98 


THE  HERO   OF  ERIE. 


C 


When  the  last  bridge  was  found,  instead  of  it  being 
protected  by  a  line  of  English  troopji,  the  only  force 
that  showed  itself  was  a  band  of  several  hundred  In- 
dians, who  stood  without  intrenchments  on  the  far- 
ther side.  They  were  evidently  prepared  to  dispute 
the  passage  of  the  American  forces,  and  to  obstruct 
the  repairing  of  the  bridge.  They  were  ^vell  armed, 
and  it  seemed  that  there  would  be  a  large  sacrifice  of 
life  in  case  a  charge  was  ordered.  Perry  was  sent  back 
to  the  rear  with  instructions  to  bring  up  two  six- 
pounders.  It  was  no  easy  work  to  get  them  through 
the  woods  and  to  keep  them  from  sinking  hub-deep 
in  the  soft,  rain-soaked  roads,  but  he  managed  to. 
bring  tacm  lo  the  front,  and,  after  a  few  well-directed 
shots,  the  Indians  retired.  In  two  hours  the  bridge 
was  repaired,  and  the  troops  marched  across. 

There  was  a  little  house  on  the  hill  that  had  been 
occupied  by  a  Canadian  settler.  At  first  nothing 
amiss  was  noticed,  but  suJdcnly  one  of  the  younger 
officers  pointed  out  that  smoke  was  coming  from  the 
open  windows,  and,  before  a  movement  coald  be 
made,  it  was  seen  that  the  upper  story  was  in  flames. 
It  was  so  near  the  river  that  water  could  be  pro- 
cured without  great  tlifficulty,  and  the  fire  was  ex- 
tinguished. The  British  had  left  in  this  house  a  quan- 
tity of  ^  unpowder  and  muskets,  all  of  which  were  wel- 
come trophies  of  war. 

Away  up  the  river  above  the  trees  a  thin  column 


'*?. 


I 


iitiitiitiriffiiri 


A  SAILOR  ON   HORSEBACK. 


99 


of  smoke  was  seen  ascending  the  air,  and  when  some 
of  the  Americans  had  skirted  the  river  bank,  it  was 
found  that  one  of  the  British  vessels,  probably  from 
Maiden,  had  been  towed  and  worked  up  there  and 
at  the  last  moment  had  been  fired.  All  this  proved 
that  the  enemy  were  not  far  away,  and  that  soon  they 
would  be  forced  to  turn  and  fight. 

About  four  miles  above  where  the  first  vessel  was 
seen,  two  more  were  afterward  found  in  flames.  At 
the  top  of  a  large  hill  a  big  building  was  discovered 
toward  evening  burning  fiercely.  Although  every 
efifort  was  made  to  get  at  the  contents  and  subdue 
the  fire,  it  had  progressed  so  far  that  the  only  prop- 
erty saved  were  two  mounted  t\.enty-four-pounders 
and  a  few  shot  and  shell. 

At  this  place,  which  was  known  as  the  Distillery, 
the  troops  camped  that  night,  and  before  daybreak 
next  morning  they  were  again  in  motion,  and  by 
three  o'clock  one  of  the  scouts  announced  to  General 
Harrison  that  the  enemy  had  halted  and  were  pre- 
paring to  meet  them.  It  was  without  doubt  Proc- 
tor's intention  to  reach  this  very  point,  and  there  to 
make  his  stand.  He  had  not  chosen  it  haphazard, 
nor  had  he  been  forced  to  take  it.  With  military 
judgment  and  forethought  he  recognized  the  advan- 
tages of  the  position.  A  large  and  almost  impassable 
swamp  followed  the  bend  of  the  river  for  several 
miles.     The  hilltop  was  covered  with  a  great  forest 


I 


m 


..UJi'i^  #!'=S&jSrfc. 


WBlta 


TOO 


HERO  OF  ERIE. 


of  beech  trees,  almost  clear  of  underbrush,  and  the 
other  side  swept  down  into  a  tangle  of  tamarack  and 
stunted  pine. 

The  road  by  which  the  Americans  had  been  ap- 
proaching ran  through  the  forest  near  to  the  bank 
of  the  stream,  or,  better,  tho  juncture  of  the  swamp. 
All  the  artillery  had  been  placed  to  guard  the  open 
approach,  the  Indian  auxiHaries  had  been  massed  in 
the  swamp,  and  a  line  of  well-intrenched  infantrymen 
filled  the  hillsides  among  the  pines. 

In  Harrison's  report  he  gives  great  credit  to  Perry 
for  suggestions,  and  proves  that  the  hero  of  Erie,  be- 
sides possessing  nautical  sl^ill,  could  boast  of  no  little 
military  ability.  The  accounts  of  the  little  battle 
that  followed  are  not  known  to  many  readers  of 
American  history,  but  yet  it  deserves  mention,  not 
only  because  of  its  real  importance,  but  because  of 
the  doings  of  the  backwoodsmen  who  formed  the  ma- 
jority of  the  forces. 

As  they  formed  in  order  of  battle,  the  brigade 
under  command  of  General  Trotter  took  the  front 
line,  with  his  right  upon  the  road  and  his  left  upon 
the  swamp.  Next  came  General  Desha's  division, 
formed  in  two  lines  to  the  left.  Less  than  two  hun- 
dred yards  in  the  rear  of  Trotter's  brigade  came  that 
of  General  King,  while  one  brigade  was  held  back  as 
a  reserve  force  in  the  rear.  Each  brigade  numbered 
nearly  five  hundred  men.     It  was  the  first  intention 


y^i-.-'S 


V-  : 


the 
and 

ap- 

bank 

vamp. 

open 

ed  in 

ymen 

Perry 

ie,  be- 

>  little 
battle 
ers  of 
1,  not 
use  of 
le  ma- 

rigade 
front 
upon 

vision, 

>  hun- 
e  that 
ick  as 
ibered 
;ntion 


■^m 


M»,> 


A  SAILOR  ON  HORSEBACK. 


xoi 


*  -■;, 


to  try  to  turn  the  flank  that  the  Indians  held,  and  to 
push  them  in  from  the  right ;  but,  owing  to  the  swampi- 
ness of  the  ground  and  the  dcnseness  of  the  foliage, 
the  horses  could  not  be  used,  and  it  was  seen  that 
the  men  as  they  came  across  the  open  space  would 
find  themselves  exposed  to  a  withering  fire. 

It  seemed  that  Proctor  had  guarded  at  every  point, 
but  he  did  not  count  upon  certain  qualities  which  have 
shown  themselves  in  the  character  of  the  American 
soldier  when  hard  pressed  or  thwarted.  It  can  best 
be  described  by  the  word  "  initiative "- —an  unhesi- 
tating and  simultaneous  action  arising  from  the  indi- 
vidual efforts  of  the  men  to  relieve  the  situation.  It 
was  always  supposed  that  artillery  sheltered  by  woods 
was  safe  from  a  cavalry  charge.  In  many  a  battle 
have  batteries  of  artillery  been  taken  by  a  fierce  on- 
slaught of  mounted  men  charging  in  the  open,  but 
when  protected  by  trees  it  had  never  happened.  Of 
course,  the  fierce  weight  of  the  attack  would  be 
broken  by  dodging  in  and  out  among  the  trunks,  and 
the  Englishmen's  tactics  prescribed  no  method  of 
getting  around  them. 

However,  the  Kentucky  riflemen  (some  of  whom 
were  mounted)  and  all  of  the  backwoods  companies 
that  were  on  horseback  were  gathered  on  both  sides 
of  the  road  that  ran  to  the  forest.  At  a  given  order 
they  were  to  join  forces  and  go  hea(IIv,ng  to  the  artil- 
lery that  was  among  the  beeches  at  the  top  of  the 


.",-£  ^ '/v^- 


ycm 


1 


I 

•3 


loa 


THE  HERO   OF  ERIE. 


hill.  As  the  forward  movement  took  place,  firing 
began  on  both  left  and  right,  and  then,  as  the  head 
of  the  column  appeared  in  the  road,  the  artillery 
opened  up.  At  first  the  horsemen  were  thrown  into 
confusion,  but  suddenly  a  strong,  clear  voice  rang 
out: 

"  Now,  lads,  up  and  at  them  before  they  can  get 
in  another  broadside!" 

Perry  had  left  Harrison's  side,  and  his  quick  eye 
had  seen  the  opportunity.  The  English,  shrouded  in 
their  own  smoke,  and  knowing  that  it  would  take 
some  time  for  the  Americans  ^o  cross  the  ground  on 
foot,  and  doubting  that  they  would  dare  to  do  so,  did 
not  see  the  band  of  horsemen  gallop  into  the  open. 
They  did  not  hear  the  order  to  charge,  and  the  first 
thing  they  knew  mounted  men  were  all  around  them 
in  the  woods.  In  fact,  the  guns  were  captured  and 
the  English  line  broken  in  less  than  two  minutes' 
actual  time,  for  the  mounted  infantry  rode  through 
them,  wheeled  and  turned,  and  fired  again,  and  in 
those  two  minutes  the  battle  was  won.  Strange  to 
say,  not  a  single  American  horseman  was  kille^",  and 
but  three  were  wounded! 

The  Indians,  however,  were  making  a  good  fight 
of  it  upon  the  American  left,  and  here  the  American 
advance  was  checked;  but  the  same  riflemen  who  had 
captured  the  batteries,  swinging  off  toward  the  swamp, 
got  in  on  the  higher  ground  behind  it,  and  now  Tecum- 


.  --.-^'■:?ir&.^(*^v  -, 


inng 

I  head 

[illery 

into 

rang 


E 
<i 

js 
H 


JS 

H 


'^W^'i^  f«°>rt7?^.'^ti^^W.2r«t*.-!rt.r4-)«t.-«*f*---- 


1  -.  v:^,-  i«,-l2^a\i_vi  „  J-.::  U'ri'^^VTr*^,  ■■- 


A   SAILOR  ON   HORSEBACK. 


JOJ 


MA- 


m. 


seh's  men  found  themselves  between  two  fires.  It 
was  more  than  flesh  and  blood  could  stand,  and  they 
broke  and  retreated  in  all  directions.  The  day  was 
won. 

Six  hundred  prisoners  of  the  British  regulars  sur- 
rendered, twelve  were  killed,  and  twenty-two  wounded. 
The  Indians  lost  thirty-three  dead,  whose  bodies  were 
found  in  the  swamp  and  the  surrounding  hillsides. 
Six  brabs  field  pieces  were  taken,  and,  strange  to  say, 
three  were  discovered  to  be  trophies  of  the  Revolution- 
ary War,  and  they  were  the  same  ones  that  had  been 
surrendered  to  the  British  by  General  Hull  at  De- 
troit. Originally  they  had  been  taken  from  the  Brit- 
ish at  Saratoga  and  Yorktown  some  thirty  years  be- 
fore! 

Almost  all  of  the  small  arms  that  were  captured 
had  also  previously  belonged  to  the  Americans,  and 
had  been  taken  at  Detroit,  Frenchtown,  or  one  of 
the  skirmishes  along  the  Miami. 

As  a  group  of  oflFicers  rode  over  the  field  of  bat- 
tle, a  sergeant  approached  and',  saluting,  spoke  a  few 
words  to  General  Harrison. 

"Are  you  sure  that  it  is  he,  my  man?"  said  the 
general  in  reply  to  the  sergeant's  words. 

"  I  know  him  well  by  sight,  sir,"  was  the  answer. 
"  He  lies  just  beyond  the  farther  hill." 

Riding  over  in  that  direction,  they  found  a  number 
of  men  surrounding  a  figure  on  the  ground.     It  was 


104 


THE   HERO  OF  ERIE. 


that  of  the  brave  Indian  Tecumseh.  At  the  time  of 
his  death  he  bore  a  commission  as  brigadier  general 
in  the  English  army,  and  his  name  was  one  to  con- 
jure with  among  t^e  Indian  tribes.  Although  he  hated 
the  United  States,  his  method  of  conducting  war  had 
always  been  that  of  a  high-minded  leader.  He  had 
been  more  anxious  than  the  English  for  the  action, 
and  previous  to  it  he  had  berated  Proctor  for  show- 
ing a  disposition  to  retreat. 

In  making  his  report,  Harrison  did  not  forget  to 
mention  the  value  of  the  services  of  his  voluntary  aid. 
He  writes  of  Perry  as  follows: 

"  Commodore  Perry  assisted  me  in  forming  the 
troops  for  action,  and  his  appearance  cheered  and 
animated  every  breast." 


iS, 


wmm 


■.•ia^i:/,',.  .,.''^ji». 


le  of 

tneral 

con- 

lated 

|r  had 

had 

ction, 

ihow- 


et  to 
y  aid. 

g  the 
1   and 


CHAPTER   X. 


AFTER   THE   VICTORY. 


It  happened  that  news  of  the  victory  on  the  lakes 
came  to  the  people  at  large  when  they  were  much  de- 
pressed and  exceedingly  down-hearted  over  the  way 
things  had  been  going  with  the  army  on  the  frontier. 
It  needed  just  such  news  to  create  a  new  spirit  and  re- 
vive the  public  zeal.  A  contemporary  wrote,  in  the 
strange  old  style  to  which  writers  of  the  early  part  of 
the  century  were  prone: 

"  No  wonder  this  victory  communicates  a  ray  of  joy 
to  every  American  bosom.  It  occasioned  through  the 
country  every  visible  testimonial  of  public  rejoicing.  In 
all  of  our  principal  cities  illuminations  took  place,  ac- 
companied with  other  demonstrations  of  joy,  admira- 
tion, and  gratitude.  All  felt  the  animating  influence 
of  the  victory  so  splendid  in  its  character  and  so  im- 
portant in  its  consequences.  All  participated  in  the 
general  joy.  The  merchant  laid  aside  his  ledger,  the 
mechanic  the  implements  of  his  trade,  the  man  of  busi- 
ness suspended  his  exertions,  the  laborer  his  toil,  and 

the  speculator  forgot  his  golden  dreams  for  a  moment, 
8  105 


1^ 


'<^ 


ie« 


THE  HERO  OF   ERIE. 


all  uniting  in  one  common  demonstration  of  joy  and 
gratitude." 

Which  all  goes  to  prove  that  Perry,  like  Admiral 
Dewty  in  our  day,  found  himself  a  much-admired  in- 
dividual. 

Congress  and  the  people  at  large  showed  their  ap- 
probation in  every  possible  way.  Besides  the  money 
which  had  been  voted  him,  he  was  presented  with  nu- 
merous tokens  and  honorable  mementos.  His  journey 
through  the  country  wherever  he  went  was  an  ovation. 
It  is  a  wonder  that  he  ever  surv^ived  the  number  of  din- 
ners and  receptions  where  the  lists  of  toasts  were  as 
long  as  your  arm. 

But  what  had  pleased  Perry  most  was  undoubtedly 
his  promotion  to  the  rank  of  captain,  lo  date  from  the 
day  of  his  victory. 

A  strange  little  side  light  upon  the  character  of  the 
young  commander  is  shown  by  the  fact  that  after  his 
long  journey  from  the  lakes  to  Newport,  R.  I.,  he  still 
had  kept  by  him  the  four  brave  men  who  had  rowed  his 
boat  out  from  the  shattered  Lawrence  to  the  Niagara. 
Wherever  he  went  they  accompanied  him,  a  self-consti- 
tuted guard  of  honor. 

But  an  idle  life  was  not  to  i.-j  >oung  captain's  liking, 
and  certainly  that  at  Newpor  was  not  conducive  to 
happiness  in  Perry's  eyes.  What  he  needed  and  craved 
was  activity  and  a  chance  for  the  exercise  of  his  com- 
manding powers,  and  so  early  in  January,   1814,  he 


mssmmmm^m 


AFTER  THE  VICTORY. 


107 


ind 


startec'  overland  for  Washington.  We,  who  travel  so 
easily  and  luxuriously  in  our  express  trains,  have  no 
idea  of  the  tediousness  and  length  of  such  a  journey 
during  the  older  times.  ThinL  of  sometimes  being 
three  or  four  days  from  Boston  to  New  York,  and  just 
as  long  from  that  city  to  Washington! 

On  the  I  ith  he  arrived  in  New  York,  and  a  splendid 
entertainment  was  given  him  in  Tammany  Hall  (which 
was  very  different  from  the  Tammany  Hall  nowadays). 
Strange  to  say,  just  at  this  time  politics  had  begun  to 
Cteep  into  interstate  transactions.      Many  people  in 
New  England,  and  especially  those  who  had  interests 
at  Boston,  had  bitterly  opposed  the  declaration  of  hos- 
tilities against  Great  Britain,  and  it  was  not  until  a  num- 
ber of  our  victories  at  sea  had  begun  to  restore  confi- 
dence that  these  birds  of  ill-omen  ceased  their  croaking. 
In  New  York,  which  was  an  important  center  of  parti- 
sanship, there  were  many  factions,  and  there  were  many 
political  parties  on  the  verge  of  formation  that  might 
cause  destruction  to  the  national  policy.    When  Perry 
rose  to  respond  to  the  speech  of  welcome,  he  looked 
down  the  large  hall,  and  without  making  any  references 
to  the  condition  of  affairs  or  to  the  reason  of  his  being 
there,  in  a  few  simple  words  he  pledged  "  the  union  of 
the  States."     He  spoke  of  the  necessity  of  their  stand- 
ing together.    It  often  requires  but  a  few  words  at  the 
right  time  to  weld  what  might  become  separate  and  an- 
tagonistic sections  strongly  together.    It  was  like  the 


^u*^  ...  f^...^*t^^,  ^.'"t^^l'l^^^t" ' 


io8 


TKE  KEFO   OF   ERIE. 


R'^ 


well-directed  and  skillful  blows  of  the  hammer  that 
forge  the  two  ends  of  a  band  of  steel. 

A  tirmultuous  applause  greeted  his  little  speech,  and 
afterward  it  was  said  that  his  words  had  done  more 
good  than  all  the  outpourings  of  the  press. 

There  is  but  the  account  of  one  more  entertainment 
that  was  given  in  bis  honor,  and  we  will  resume  the  more 
interesting  part  o*  his  life. 

Baltimore  i"  a  town  always  renowned  for  its  hospi- 
tality. They  did  not  do  things  by  halves  in  those  days, 
and  on  the  ist  of  February  an  entertainment  was  given 
to  Perry  that  was  so  unusual  that  it  attracted  great  at- 
tention throughout  the  country,  and  accounts  of  it  were 
copied  from  one  paper  to  another.  What  it  was  really 
like,  in  view  of  the  manner  in  which  such  a  thing  could 
be  done  nowadays,  with  electric  lights,  complicated 
mechanisms,  and  all  that,  we  can  not  judge,  so  per- 
haps it  is  well  to  quote  directly  from  a  contemporary 
newspaper,  Niles's  Register,  ihat  was  published  in  Bal- 
timore : 

"  On  Tuesday,  Commodore  Perry  was  entertained  at 
Barney's  Fountain  Inn  it.  a  manner  that  we  beg  to  be 
indulged  in  communicating  and  recording,  lor  reasons 
that  may  be  urged  hereafter."  (The  reasons  that  the 
editor  urges  are  that  the  whole  affair  is  a  nation's  busi- 
ness.) Then  he  goes  on,  after  mentioning  some  of  the 
people  who  were  present: 

"  At  the  head  of  a  large  room  was  a  large  transparent 


^SS*I^^^^S3^^^^ 


..^f 


':^:SR'Wk 


AFTER  THE   VICTORY. 


X09 


immer  that 

speech,  and 
done  more 

itertainment 
me  the  more 

or  its  hospi- 

1  those  days, 

It  was  given 

ted  great  at- 

its  of  it  were 

it  was  really 

L  thing  could 

complicated 

dge,  so  per- 

ontemporary 

ished  in  Bal- 

ntertained  at 
/e  beg  to  be 
,  ior  reasons 
ons  that  the 
ation's  busi- 
some  of  the 

:  transparent 


*!j**S»»«v^,„ 


painting,  reaching  almost  across  the  hall,  representing 
the  battle  of  Erie.  The  accomplished  artist  had  hap- 
pily seized  that  moment,  vhen  Commodore  Perry, 
'  at  forty-five  minutes  past  i;wo,  having  thrown  out 
the  signal  for  close  action,'  bore  up  in  the  Niagara 
and  passed  ahead  of  their  two  ships  and  a  brig,  giv- 
ing a  raking  fire  to  them  from  the  starboard  guns, 
and  to  a  large  schooner  and  sloop  from  the  larboa'-d 
side  at  half- pistol-shot  distance.  The  smaller  vessels 
having  at  this  time  got  within  grape  and  canister  dis- 
tance, under  the  direction  of  Captain  Elliot,  and  keep- 
ing up  a  well-directed  fire,  the  two  ships,  a  brig,  and  a 
schooner  surrendered,  a  schooner  and  a  sloop  making 
a  vain  attempt  to  escape. 

"The  painting  was  finely  executed,  and  its  eflFect 
was  charming.  At  the  head  of  the  tables  was  the  rep- 
resentation of  a  stern  of  a  ship,  labeled  '  Niagara,'  on 
which,  as  on  the  quarter-deck,  were  placed  the  presi- 
dent of  the  day,  Edward  Johnson,  Esq.,  with  the  hero. 
Commodores  Lewis  and  Barney,  and  Captains  Spence 
and  Ridgely,  of  the  U.  S.  Navy,  and  other  invited 
guests.  In  front  of  these  rose,  as  in  a  great  column, 
a  bundle  of  eighteen  arrows,  braced  together  by  massy 
bands,  on  which  were  inscribed  the  names  of  Hull, 
Jones,  Decatur,  Bainbridge,  Lawrence,  Ludlow,  Bur- 
rows, Allen,  and  Perry,  in  large  letters  of  gold.  From 
the  center  of  the  arrows  rose  a  topgallant  mast  and 
yard,  bearing  a  flag  on  which  was  inscribed  the  mem- 


1: 


;»;; 


^4) 


i 


m 


■  ''^i!fi'i?f^^'^^^^tf^^^^>'^^''^S^ 


^rS^i#fe##:#-:^5S^i^^' 


mra 


',Ma'.g.wrHaMi.a"ni'ai»uiiMnaBe8 


X>6 


THE   HERO  OF  ERIE. 


orable  dispatch,  '  We  have  met  the  enemy  and  they 
are  ours,'  The  pedestal  was  ornamented  with  naval 
emblems  and  wreaths.  Over  the  whole  was  suspended 
the  American  eagle,  bearing  in  his  beak  a  scroll  let- 
tered '  A  nation's  gratitude  the  hero's  best  reward.' 
This  effigy  was  so  managed  that,  with  outstretched 
wings,  it  passed,  occasionally,  over  the  company.  .  .  . 
The  windows  of  the  room  were  elegantly  curtained 
with  the  '  striped  bunting '  spangled  with  stars,  and 
whicnever  way  the  eye  turned  it  fell  on  some  object 
to  delight  the  sense  and  gratify  the  patriotic  enthusi- 
asm that  overflowed  every  bosom.  The  music  gallery 
was  filled  with  gentlemen  amateurs,  and  their  excel- 
lent performances  added  not  a  little  to  embellish  and 
adorn  the  whole. 

"  The  vice-presidents  were  Joseph  H.  Nicholson, 
Esq.,  Captain  Samuel  Sterett,  Major  Isaac  McKim, 
Colonel  James  Biays,  Captain  George  Stiles,  and 
Major  Thomas  Tenant;  and  the  company,  amounting 
to  between  two  and  three  hundred  gentlemen,  sat 
down  to  dinner  a  little  before  five  o'clock.  Dignified 
order,  with  heartfelt  animation  and  joy,  held  uninter- 
rupted sway  until  nine  in  the  evening,  when  the  com- 
pany broke  up,  and  each  went  home  rejoicing  that  he 
had  seen  that  day,  so  honorable  to  all  concerned  in  the 
tribute  of  gratitude  to  the  hero  of  Erie. 

"  As  the  several  toasts  were  announced,  the  music 
struck  up  a  patriotic  air.    But  when  this  was  repeated 


!iSBfc)mlUH4'L<p|?jt;..;J«L 


wmi 


AFTER  THE  VICTORY. 


by  the  vice-president,  the  company  directed  its  atten- 
tion in  silence  toward  the  musicians,  wondering  why 
they  did  not  play.  Suddenly  the  roll  of  a  drum,  as  if 
first  at  a  great  distance,  was  heard  behind  the  trans- 
parency, and  every  eye  was  turned  that  way.  The  roll 
grew  louder  and  louder,  and  having  reached  its  entire 
force,  down  came  the  British  flag  from  the  enemy's  ships 
in  the  foreground  of  the  picture;  then  the  band  struck 
up  '  Yankee  Doodle,'  and  the  British  flag  was  hoisted 
under  the  American  ensign.  Very  few  of  the  company 
were  aware  of  this;  it  is  folly  to  attempt  to  describe  the 
fetl?ngs  it  excited." 

Boston  also  honored  the  hero  of  Erie  by  presenting 
him  with  a  set  of  silver  service,  a  sword,  and  the  free- 
dom of  the  city.  Besides  this,  he  received  many  gifts 
of  plate  from  private  individuals. 

On  the  30th  of  May  Perry  was  once  more  in  New- 
port. A  strange  state  of  affairs  existed  along  the 
American  coasts  and  in  the  waters  of  the  Sound.  The 
English  had  at  their  disposal  at  this  time  such  an  im- 
mense fleet  of  vessels  that  there  was  hardly  an  inhabited 
'  »^nit  on  the  American  coast  from  which  one  could  not 
if  A  sail  of  the  enemy  almost  every  day  or  so.  The 
;  sels  of  the  American  navy  in  getting  to  sea,  no 
matter  from  what  port,  were  compelled  to  run  the 
gauntlet  of  the  watchers  in  the  offing.  In  many  cases 
American  ships  of  war  had  been  blockaded  for  so  long 
that  they  were  hauled  up  shallow  rivers  and  disman- 


fctf" 


y 


'^^'. 


113 


THE  HERO  OF  ERIE. 


tied,  their  guns  being  placed  in  land  batteries  for  pro- 
tection from  attack.  Upon  one  occasion  the  English 
fleet  had  blockaded,  in  the  harbor  of  New  London,  all 
the  armed  vessels  of  any  consequence  belonging  to  the 
Americans  on  the  New  England  coast,  with  the  ex- 
ception of  two. 

Commodore  Perry  was  ostensibly  in  command  of 
what  was  know  ^  'aval  station,  but  he  had  nothing 
more  formidable  ti  back  upon  for  active  operations 
than  a  few  of  the  old  and  utterly  useless  gunboats  that 
had  been  built  during  the  administration  of  Mr.  Jeflfer- 
son — little  one-gun  sloops,  scarcely  larger  than  fishing 
smacks. 

Of  course,  the  inactivity  chafed  and  galled  Perry's 
eager  spirit.  His  trip  to  Washington  had  brought  him 
some  promise  and  he  hoped  soon  to  have  a  sea-going 
command.  In  the  meantime  there  was  nothing  to  do 
but  wait. 

On  the  evening  of  the  30th  a  seaman  hurried  up 
to  Perry's  house,  bearing  a  message  that  a  fisherman 
had  told  him  that  an  English  sloop  of  war  had  just 
chased  a  little  Swedish  brig  on  to  the  rocks  in 
the  harbor  entrance,  and  that  the  boats  of  the 
man-o'-war  had  put  off,  evidently  intending  to  de- 
stroy her.  Immediately  Perry  jumped  to  his  feet. 
A  runner  was  sent  into  the  village  to  call  together 
the  local  company  of  militia,  and  then  Perry, 
heading  a  body  of  sailors,  made  for  the  shore,  drag- 


, 


AFTER  THE  VICTORY. 


"3 


pro- 
^iglish 
)n,  all 
to  the 
le  ex- 


ging  after  them  the  only  available  gun,  an  old  six- 
pounder. 

They  managed  that  day  to  fight  off  the  boats  of  the 
sloop,  out  the  next  morning  she  came  closer  in,  and 
under  the  heavy  fire  of  her  guns  succeeded  in  landing  a 
party  who  set  fire  to  her  prey.  Then,  having  accom- 
plished her  object,  she  squared  her  yards,  and  taking 
advantage  of  the  land  breeze,  put  off  to  the  southwest. 
Before  she  had  gone  very  far,  however,  the  sailors, 
under  Perry's  directions,  had  clambered  down  the 
rocks  and,  launching  a  small  boat,  had  made  their 
way  out  to  the  burning  vessel.  Without  much  diffi- 
culty they  succeeded  in  putting  out  the  flames  rmd 
saved  almost  her  entire  cargo. 

What  had  caused  the  English  vessel  to  leave  so  has- 
tily was  soon  evident,  for  two  large  barges,  mounting 
twelve-pounders,  appeared  round  the  point.  They 
were  manned  by  militia  companies  from  farther  up  the 
river  that  Perry  had  sent  for  the  preceding  evening. 

All  this  little  skirmishing  must  have  seemed  mighty 
small  and  unimportant  to  a  man  who  had  commanded  a 
fleet  and  humbled  the  veterans  of  Nelson,  but  he  had 
taken  hold  of  the  situation  with  all  of  the  old  thorough- 
ness and  understanding;  and  soon  there  was  to  come 
a  better  opportunity  for  the  display  of  his  gifts  of  leader- 
ship. 


•  ^ 


;h 


i^:: 


All  through  the  months  of  June  and  July  Perry 
was  busy  hastening  from  one  place  to  another,  in 
order  to  direct  the  defenses  made  at  various  points 
against  the  depredations  of  the  British.    At  the  little 
port  of  Wiscasset,  Me.,  on  June  26th,  he  repelled  an  at- 
tack made  in  considerable  force  by  the  boats  of  a  small 
squadron  of  the  enemy.     Perry  had  all  the  faculties 
-ci:at  mark  leaders  of  men — a  quick  judgment  of  char- 
acter, a  firmness  of  purpose,  a  superb  self-reliance,  and 
a  capacity  for  organization.     It   was  this   last  that 
made  him  so  useful  to  the  long-shore  people.    Accom- 
panied by  a  handful  of  sailors,  he  would  appear  at  a 
threatened  point,  and  out  of  the  half-frightened  and 
badly  armed  villagers  construct  a  little  army — skirm- 
ishers, infantry  and  artillery,  sappers,  miners,  and  com- 
missary.   His  word  of  command  was  obeyed  instantly, 
and    his    plans    were    followed    to    the    letter.      Be- 
sides all  this,  he  had  the  wonderful  personal  magnet- 
ism that  made  men  anxious  to  serve  him.     Had  he 
been  present  at  Wareham,  Mass.,  on  tb-  -^ist  of  June, 

the  inhabitants  would  not  have  stood  idly  by  on  the 
114 


-- ^^^^^^^fe^a^fc: 


hills  and  watched  the  torch  threaten  their  defenseless 
homes.  But  perhaps  they  were  not  altogether  to 
blame,  and,  at  the  risk  of  digression,  it  might  be  best 
to  tell  here  of  the  little  incident  that  is  well-nigh  for- 
gotten now,  but  still  lingers  in  the  traditions  of  east- 
ern Massachusetts. 

Early  on  the  morning  of  the  21st  of  June,  1814,  as 
we  have  stated,  two  or  three  strange  sail  were- seen 
through  the  light  fog  crawling  up  the  coast,  and  even 
before  all  the  inhabitants  could  be  called  together  by 
the  ringing  of  the  meeting-house  bell,  the  hoarse  bawi- 
ings  of  the  boatswains  could  be  heard  as  the  anchors 
were  let  go  in  the  little  harbor.  There  were  no  can- 
non in  the  town,  with  the  exception  of  an  old  Revolu- 
tionary six-pounder  mounted  near  the  wharf,  and  for 
that  there  was  little  powder.  But  still  the  young 
men  and  boys  gathered  in  sufficient  force  to  have 
made  able  resistance  to  a  landing  party.  Unfortu- 
nately, however,  there  was  none  to  lead  them,  and  con- 
fusion reigned  everywhere.  When  the  fog  lifted,  it 
was  seen  that  six  large  barges  filled  with  marines  and 
armed  sailors  were  making  in  toward  the  land.  In 
the  leading  barge  was  an  officer  waving  a  white  flag. 
At  once  some  one  displayed  a  like  signal  on  the  pier, 
and  soon  all  the  boats  were  within  hailing  distance. 
A  strange  conversation  now  took  place  between  the 
officer  and  one  or  the  village  selectmen,  who  took  it 
upon  himself  to  speak  for  his  fellow-townsfolk. 


ii6 


THE   HERO  OF  ERIE. 


"  What  is  it  that  you  wish?  "  asked  the  selectman, 
as  if  the  intentions  of  the  armed  force  from  the  ene- 
my's ships  could  be  mistaken. 

"  To  pass  the  time  of  day,"  replied  the  officer, 
"  and  incidentally  to  request  the  gracious  privilege  of 
landing  a  few  friends  of  mine,  and  I  trust  that  when 
you  hear  me  out  you  will  offer  no  serious  objections." 

All  the  time  the  boats  were  drifting  farther  in,  and 
as  the  officer  spoke  he  addressed  a  few  orders  to  the 
men  nearest  him.    There  was  a  smile  on  his  lips. 

"  What  is  it  you  have  to  say? "  again  inquired  the 
village  spokesman.  (This  was  not  the  way  Master- 
Commandant  Perry  would  have  acted  altogether.) 

"  We  understand  that  there  are  Government  stores 
here  in  great  quantities,  and  as  they  must  be  a  burden 
to  you,  we  desire  but  to  relieve  you  of  the  responsi- 
bility," was  the  response. 

It  was  certainly  a  strange  sight — the  Wareham 
men,  all  with  arms  in  their  hands,  crowding  around 
the  selectman,  and  the  boats  so  close  now  that  One 
had  made  fast  to  the  wharf  with  a  boat  hook,  the  crew 
nervous,  but  all  agrin.  A  hurried  consultation  was 
held  by  the  Warehamites. 

There  were  no  public  stores,  in  the  strict  sense  of 
the  word,  in  the  town  at  that  present  moment,  and 
a  determination  was  reached  without  debate. 

"  If  you  agree  to  respect  private  property,  and  to 
seize  or  destroy  only  the  munitions  or  stores  of  the 


^^fe4^a,a4iagifeii4ii^^ 


AT  NEWPORT  STATION. 


117 


Government,  you  may  land  without  molestation,"  said 
the  old  donkey  on  the  wharf  graciously. 

"  Agreed  I  "  replied  the  officer.  "  If  I  am  not  fired 
upon  or  interfered  with,  private  property  will  be  left 
alone.  But,  to  prove  the  good  will  of  your  intentions, 
withdraw  your  men  to  the  crest  of  yonder  hill,  as  it 
might  facilitate  matters  and  prevent  blunders." 

There  were  some  mutterings  among  the  more  cour- 
ageous of  the  villagers,  but  apparently  there  was  noth- 
ing else  to  do,  and  reluctantly  they  withdrew  up  the 
street  to  the  hilltop. 

Now,  what  followed  may  have  been  an  error  01 
judgment  on  the  part  of  the  English  lieutenant;  or 
pe.'haps  he  reckoned  wrongly  in  thinking  he  could 
control  his  men;  or  perhaps  some  reckless  Yankee  did 
not  observe  the  letter  of  the  unsigned  treaty,  and  fired 
a  shot;  or  maybe  the  Englishmen,  thinking  of  the  old 
adage,  "  All's  fair  in  love  and  war,"  first  plainly  played 
toss  with  the  truth.  At  any  rate,  this  is  what  hap- 
pened : 

Only  a  short  distance  down  the  shore  a  vessel  was 
building  on  the  stocks.  Hardly  had  half  of  the  boats' 
crews  scrambled  on  the  pier  when  a  small  party,  headed 
by  the  garrulous  officer  himself,  put  straight  for  her, 
and  before  one  could  say  "  Jack  Robinson  "  she  was 
going  up  in  roaring  flames.  There  seemed  no  doubt 
in  his  mind  that  she  belonged  to  the  State,  although 
she  was  only  intended  to  war  against  the  peaceful  cod. 


m 


ii8 


THE   HERO  OF   ERIE. 


The  storehouses  near  the  shore  were  next  broken 
into,  but  most  of  them  were  emjty  or  contained  only 
barrels  of  dried  fish.    The  old  six-pounder  might  prop- 
erly have  come  under  the  head  of  "  material  of  war," 
and  it  was  not  spared,  but  was  plumped  into  the  waters 
of  the  bay.    Close  to  the  shore  was  an  old  straggling 
building,  built  partly  of  brick  and  partly  of  wood;  it 
was  a  small  cotton  mill.    Whether  or  not  it  was  fired 
by  order  of  the  British  commander  will  doubtless  never 
be  known,  but,  suffice  it,  suddenly  flames  burst  from 
the  windows,  and  in  a  few  minutes  all  the  wooden  part 
was   roaring   merrily    away,    endangering    the    neigh- 
boring  houses  and   threatening  wholesale   conflagra- 
tion. 

The  old  selectman  had  been  restraining  some  of 
the  young  hot  bloods  with  difficulty.  Badly  armed  and 
equipped,  they  wouM  have  stood  little  chance  against 
the  marines  and  sailors  if  they  had  A^entured  to  attack 
them,  and  perhaps  discretion  was  the  better  part  in 
this  case.  But  when  the  English  were  about  to  take 
to  their  boats  again,  down  the  hill  stalked  the  old 
man,  followed  by  a  dozen  or  so  of  the  village  elders. 

"Your  conduct  has  been  outrageous,  sir!"  thun- 
dered one  of  the  latter,  shaking  his  fist  in  the  lieu- 
tenant's face. 

"You  have  broken  your  sacred  promise!"  put  in 

another. 

"Seize  these  men!"  said  the  lieutenant  angrily, 


Ar-^JPi 


AT  NEWPORT  STATION. 


119 


oken 
only 
5rop- 
kvar," 
aters 

pling 
)d;  it 

fired 
never 

from 
I  part 
leigh- 
lagra- 

ne  of 
d  and 
gainst 
ittack 
irt  in 
•  take 
e  old 
ers. 
thiin- 
lieu- 

lut  in 

igrily, 


in  reply,  and  before  they  knew  it  the  twelve  elders 
were  bundled  over  the  side  of  the  pier  into  the  boats. 

The  people  gathered  on  the  hill  made  a  rush,  but 
the  officer,  who  must  have  been  a  cool  one,  slipped  a 
pistol  from  his  belt  and  confronted  them. 

"  If  a  shot  is  fired,  it  will  be  so  much  the  worse 
for  your  friends! "  he  shouted,  and  then,  without  hur- 
rying, he  stepped  down  into  his  barge. 

All  this  goes  to  show  what  lack  of  proper  leader- 
ship will  do.  If  Perry  and  his  faithful  body  guard  of 
sixteen  Jack  tars  had  been  there,  the  story  would 
have  been  different.  He  would  not  have  allowed  a 
flag  of  truce  to  be  accompanied  by  six  boat  loads  of 
armed  men. 

But  to  return  to  the  poor  captives  in  the  stem 
sheets  of  the  barges.  Their  protestations  were  of  no 
avail,  and  some,  who  saw  before  them  a  long  term  of 
imprisonment  as  "  English  sailors,"  broke  down  com- 
pletely. But  when  they  had  reached  the  fleet  the  rank- 
ing officer  assured  them  that  they  had  nothing  to  fear, 
and  they  were  put  ashore  some  four  miles  below  the 
town. 

Now,  all  this  angered  Perry  to  such  an  extent  that 
in  his  report  of  the  affair  he  asked  to  have  more 
adequate  means  given  him  to  pr<.vent  the  recurrence 
of  these  incursions,  and  during  the  month  following 
he  was  busy  organizing  the  militia  and  establishing  a 
coast  guard  in  his  district.    But  soon  he  was  to  leave 


;fe' 


MNI 


mmmmmm 


lao 


THE   HERO  OF  ERIE. 


I 


I- . 

IP 
W 

i 


I' 


for  very  active  service,  although  he  received  no  orders 
to  take  part  in  it,  and  it  was  his  own  dauntless  and  ad- 
venturous spint  that  dictated  his  movements. 

Long  weeks  before  this — in  fact,  shortly  after  the 
battle  of  Erie — Perry  had  been  promised  the  command 
of  the  new  frigate  Java,  then  building  at  the  city  of 
Baltimore.  He  had  been  present  at  the  laying  of  her 
keel,  and  since  that  day,  although  far  from  the  spot, 
he  had  kept  interested  in  her  plans  and  development. 
She  had  grown  to  be  the  apple  of  his  eye,  and  he  was 
looking  forward  eagerly  to  the  day  when  Jie  should 
tread  her  quarter-deck  and  once  more  feel  that  he 
was  a  sailor.  His  life  at  Newport,  surrounded  by  fam- 
ily and  friends,  was  pleasant  and  happy,  but  his  na- 
ture rebelled  against  the  inactivity. 

One  day  there  came  to  him  the  news  that  the 
enemy  had  landed  in  great  force  in  Virginia  and  Mary- 
land, that  a  battle  had  been  fought,  the  Americans 
routed,  and  Washington,  the  capital  city,  had  been 
burned,  and  that  the  shores  of  the  Chesapeake  were 
threatened.  Baltimore  was  in  danger,  and  perhaps 
Perry's  mind  dwelt  for  a  moment  on  the  beautiful 
frigate  in  the  shipyard. 

At  any  rate,  his  place  was  where  he  could  serve 
his  country,  and  without  hesitation  he  packed  up  a  few 
belongings,  sailor  fasliion,  and  started  top  speed  for 
the  seat  of  war. 

All  the  subsequent  happenings  require  some  in- 


»»» 


't^J>^  A.^,  I 


troduction,  and  it  is  best  to  make  a  separate  chapter 
telling  of  the  important  doings  that  were  then  cast- 
ing great  gloom  and  trouble  throughout  ti.e  coun- 
try; for  our  arms  on  land  had  suffered  serious  reverses, 
and  had  it  not  been  for  the  brilliant  actions  of  our 
little  navy  on  the  high  seas,  the  nation  would  have 
been  in  a  very  depressed  mood  indeed- 


1(1 


M^m: 


^M 


"^l^^a@^ifek^Mg^&vasfei.M^;^U^ 


> 


ip 


Mil 


CHAPTER  XII. 


OFF  TO  THE  SOUTH. 


'iV 


j4  i 


K 


?' 


Bladensburg,  Md.,  is  a  little  town  but  a  few  miles 
from  the  city  of  Washington.  It  is  within  easy  driv- 
ing distant.;;,  and  in  the  year  1814  was  nothing  but 
a  sleepy  village,  with  a  few  scattering  houses  on  the 
wooded  slopes  of  the  surrounding  hills.  It  was  a 
famous  meeting  place  for  duelists  in  those  old  days, 
and  many  "  affairs  of  honor  "  were  settled  there;  but 
it  is  chiefly  known  as  being  the  battle  ground  of  one 
of  the  most  disastrous  meetings  between  our  troops 
and  those  of  the  invading  English — disastrous  to  the 
American  arms,  perhaps,  in  its  immediate  conse- 
querices  only,  as  it  bad  small  effect  upon  the  general 
conduct  of  the  war,  but  none  the  less  hard  to  bear 
for  all  that.  As  it  was  ihe  nev/s  of  this  battle  that 
brought  Perry  to  the  scne  as  fast  as  horses  could 
bring  him  over  the  hundreds  of  miles  of  rough  roads, 
it  is  easy  to  see  how  important  a  place  the  village 
then  took  in  the  minds  of  the  country  at  large,  for  it 
was  the  gate  through  which  the  British  entered  for 
the  destruction  of  the  capital  of  the  country. 

On  the  24th  of  August  the  Httle  army  that  had 
laa 


!^^*...*.A-««a**wfeH',fl  H~  -^tsmsaewsftflcr.*-* 


It  a  few  miles 
in  easy  driv- 
nothing  but 
ouses  on  the 
>■     It  was  a 
3se  old  days, 
:d  there;  but 
round  of  one 
n  our  troops 
itrous  to  the 
diate   conse- 
i  the  general 
^lard  to  bear 
3  battle  that 
horses  could 
rough  roads, 
i  the  village 
large,  for  it 
entered  for 
-y. 

ny  that  had 


landed  from  the  Chesapeake  fleet  marched  on  Wash- 
ington, under  the  command  of  the  British  general 
Ross.  The  total  force  was  not  far  from  five  thou- 
sand men,  consisting  of  regulars,  marines,  and  sailors 
equipped  as  infantry.  But  horsemen  were  out  all 
through  the  countryside,  calling  the  militia  to  rally, 
and  warning  the  inhabitants  of  the  enemy's  approach. 
They  gathered  at  Bladensburg  from  all  directions,  and 
at  noon  everything  was  in  great  confusion.  There 
seemed  to  be  no  head  of  affairs  among  the  motley  col- 
lection of  farmers,  armed  with  everything  fiom  rifles 
to  brass  blunderbusses.  A  small  detachment  of  Ameri- 
can regulars,  numbering  some  three  hundred  and  fifty, 
and  a  few  volunteers  from  the  Potomac  River  and 
the  city  of  Washington,  under  the  command  of  Com- 
modore Joshua  Barney,  composed  the  backbone  of 
the  American  body,  and  did  most  of  the  resistance. 

The  battle  opened  at  one  o'clock,  and  it  was  soon 
perceived  that  the  lack  of  training  and  discipline  of  the 
raw  militia,  and  the  dearth  of  proper  leadership,  fore- 
told defeat,  although  the  enemy  were  tired  by  a  long 
march  and  fatigued  by  the  heat  of  the  day  for  it  was 
scorching  hot.  There  is  not  time  or  space  to  describe 
the  action  here,,  but  the  militia  did  not  stand  well 
under  fire,  and  seemed  to  lack  all  principle  of  organ- 
ized fighting.  But  there  was  much  to  be  said  in  their 
defense.  The  majority  were  old  men  and  boys,  and 
a  great  proportion  did  not  airive  until  after  the  battle 


!i 


^-M 


'''iSa^*^ 


124 


THE  HERO  OF  ERIE. 


had  begun.  Commodore  Barney  and  his  little  band 
stood  firm,  as  did  the  regulars,  and  the  loss  of  killed 
and  wounded  was  among  them  mostly,  the  brave  old 
sailor  being  wounded  and  taken  prisoner  late  in  the 
afternoon.  Before  sunset  the  vanguard  of  the  English 
had  entered  Washington. 

English  historians  make  no  excuse  for  the  doings 
that  followed,  and  General  Ross  and  some  of  his  offi- 
cers quite  congratula::ed  themselves  on  what  was  prob- 
ably as  great  a  piece  of  vandalism  as  was  ever  perpe- 
trated in  "civilized  warfare,"  for  the  torch  was  ap- 
plied to  the  Capitol,  the  President's  house,  and  to  all 
the  public  buildings;  even  some  private  edifices  suf- 
fered, and  all  of  the  important  records  and  documents 
were  destroyed  in  the  library. 

The  navy  yard  had  been  set  on  fire  by  order  of  the 
American  officer  in  command,  to  prevent  important 
munitions  of  war  from  falling  into  the  hands  of  the 
invaders.  On  the  following  evening  the  English  left 
Washington  in  haste,  for  the  forces  of  the  surround- 
ing country  were  gathering,  and  so  sudden  was  their 
departure  that  they  left  behind  almost  all  of  their 
wounded  for  the  Americans  to  take  care  of.  In  the 
meantime  a  portion  of  their  naval  force  had  proceeded 
up  the  river  as  far  as  Alexandria,  on  the  Virginia 
shore.  The  town  was  absolutely  without  defenses,  as 
the  only  fort  that  could  serve  as  any  protection  had 
been  abandoned  and  destroyed. 


-.ir^-s.   v'"^*'^*^'^*' 


-^^4.'w5tf?li«- 


,<lJitA'f- 


OFF  TO  THE  SOUTH. 


"5 


le  band 
If  killed 

lave  old 
in  the 

|English 

doings 
his  offi- 
is  prob- 
*  perpe- 
was  ap- 
d  to  all 
ces  suf- 
:unients 

T  of  the 
iportant 
i  of  the 
iish  left 
rround- 
as  their 
>f  their 
In  the 
Jceeded 
Virginia 
ises,  as 
on  had 


This  was  the  state  of  affairs  that  Perry  found  ex- 
isting when  he  arrived  at  Washington — a  terror- 
stricken  community,  and  stark  and  blackened  ruins  of 
what  had  been  the  finest  buildings  in  the  country. 
But  he  was  glad  to  find  some  of  his  old  comrades  of 
the  Tripolitan  war  gathered  there  for  the  same  pur- 
pose as  his  own — namely,  to  offer  their  services  in  any 
capacity  for  the  further  protection  of  the  State  or  for 
the  punishment  of  the  enemy.  Among  them  were 
Rogers  and  Porter,  both  of  whom  had  gained  honor 
and  distinction  on  the  high  seas  in  command  of  Yan- 
kee ships,  and  now  they  were  eager  to  serve  on  land 
and  turn  soldier  for  the  time  being,  without  much 
chance  for  glory. 

The  poor  inhabitants  of  Alexandria  had  been 
forced  to  take  the  English  practically  to  their  homes 
and  hearthstones,  for,  in  addition  to  delivering  up  all 
public  property  in  the  town,  they  were  compelle  i  to 
feed  the  fleet  and  to  work  night  and  day  it  raising 
some  small  craft  that  had  been  sunk  in  the  .  er  The 
English  commander  paid  for  all  this,  it  must  be  con- 
fessed, but  the  payment  was  made  in  bills  on  the  Eiij, 
Hsh  Government,  which  were  somewhat  diflficult  of 
collection,  it  can  be  easily  perceived,  and  were  valu- 
able as  autographs  and  mementoes,  hardly  more. 

Rogers  and  Porter  and  Perry  found  plenty  to  do, 
and  but  little  time  in  which  to  do  it.  There  were 
forces  to  organize,  batteries  to  build,  and  expeditions 


^msmsm^mmmm^: 


136 


THE  HERO  OF  ERIE. 


to  drive  the  enemy  out  of  the  position  he  then  held 
in  the  river.  One  of  them-— an  attempt  to  surprise 
and  dislodge  the  British  ships  by  means  of  a  small 
flotilla  of  fire  vessels — failed  because  of  lack  of  wind; 
and  when,  on  the  6th  of  September,  the  enemy  moved 
down  the  river,  the  hastily  constructed  batteries  were 
not  heavy  enough  to  successfully  oppose  or  cope  with 
the  English  guns. 

Perry  had  taken  command  of  one  of  the  hurriedly 
improvised  forts  that  had  been  erected  on  the  shore 
at  a  place  known  as  Indian  Head  (now  the  Govern- 
ment proving  ground  for  heavy  ordnance).  He  knew 
that  the  few  six-pounder  cannon  he  had  would  prove 
most  ineffectual,  and  he  lent  all  his  efforts  to  secure 
and  mount  some  guns  of  larger  caliber;  but  most  of 
them  had  been  destroyed  in  the  navy  yard,  and  the 
case  looked  hopeless.  At  last  he  was  informed  that 
some  miles  away  there  was  an  old  eighteen-pound 
gun,  a  relic  of  the  Revolution.  Whether  or  not  there 
was  time  to  place  it  in  position  was  doubtful,  but  he 
determined  to  try,  and  so  close  did  he  "  make  con- 
nections," that  he  had  mounted  the  gun  but  a  few 
minutes  before  the  firing  up  the  river  told  him  of  the 
approach  of  the  fleet. 

As  he  supposed,  the  fire  of  the  six-pounders 
amounted  to  nothing  ;  but  that  one  heavy  piece, 
aimed  and  fired  by  the  "  hero  of  Erie  "  himself,  de- 
layed the  enemy  for  over  an  hour,  and  directed  against 


-<&»•».- 


^Ui^t**^^*' 


n  held 

urprise 

small 

wind; 

moved 

s  were 

)e  with 


•,?S^.'''i* .. 


OFF  TO  THE  SOUTH. 


««7 


that  single  gun  were  the  broadsides  of  two  frigates, 
two  sloops,  and  five  smaller  gunboats. 

How  long  this  spunky  little  battery  would  have 
annoyed  the  British  vessels  is  mere  guesswork,  but 
the  powder  ran  out,  and  then,  and  not  till  then,  did 
Perry  order  his  men  to  retire.  When  he  came  to 
reckon  up  his  losses,  he  found  to  his  delight  that  he 
had  lost  no  men  and  had  but  one  slightly  wounded. 

But  the  enemy  had  disappeared  down  the  river, 
and  a  consultation  of  officers  was  held  in  Washing- 
ton to  determine  what  would  be  the  best  plan  to  fol- 
low in  order  to  harass  them  and  prevent  a  recurrence 
of  such  things  as  had  taken  place  at  the  capital. 

Perry  and  Commodore  Rogers  were  sure  that  the 
next  point  of  attack  would  be  the  city  of  Baltimore, 
and,  leaving  the  ruined  town,  they  repaired  thither 
posthaste.  How  right  they  were  in  their  surmise  will 
be  told  in  another  chapter. 


CHAPTER  XIII. 


AT   BALTIMORE. 


Commodore  Perry  sat  in  the  coflfee  room  of  the 
Fountain  Inn  at  Baltimore.  He  had  pulled  off  his 
boots,  that  were  plashed  and  muddy,  and  was  lying 
back  in  an  easy-chair,  gazing  out  of  the  window.  It 
seemed  hard  to  imagine  that  only  a  short  time  befo—, 
in  the  big  dining  room  at  this  same  tavern,  he  had 
been  given  a  dinner  and  reception  the  like  of  which 
had  never  been  equaled  in  the  country  up  to  that  time. 
Now,  here  he  was  at  the  same  place,  but  the  condi- 
tions of  his  visit  were  entirely  different.  He  had  come 
thither  as  a  volunteer  to  fight  in  the  defense  of  the 
city  whose  citizens  had  extended  him  such  open-handed 
hospitality. 

The  enemy  were  at  their  very  doors.  The  large 
fleet  in  the  Chesapeake,  acting  under  orders  of  the 
British  admirals  Cochrane  and  Cockburn,  had  been 
concentrated  for  an  attack  on  Fort  McHenry  and  the 
batteries  of  Covington  and  the  Lazaretto.  Only  the 
day  previous  a  little  battle  had  been  fought  near 
Moorsfields  between  a  detachment  of  English  sailois 
and  marines  that  had  formed  a  landing  party  from  one 

138 


m^^:''^^^^^' 


.     AT  BALTIMORE. 


139 


of  the  frigates  and  three  companies  of  Maryland  vol- 
unteers under  Colonel  Read.  Although  no  details  of 
the  action  were  then  known  in  the  city,  the  fact  that 
the  British  had  retreated  to  their  vessels  had  occa- 
sioned much  rejoicing. 

It  was  only  the  day  before  that  Perry  had  paid  a 
visit  to  the  vessel  that  was  to  be  his  future  command, 
the  Java.  She  was  almost  finished,  and  he  had  looked 
with  pride  at  the  great  fabric  as  she  lay  there  at  anchor 
off  the  shipyard.  It  would  be  a  bitter  personal  disap- 
pointment to  him  if  he  should  have  to  lose  her,  but 
he  knew  well  enough  that  nothing  would  so  delight 
the  hearts  of  the  English  leaders  as  to  set  fire  to  her. 
But  Perry  also  well  knew  that  the  volunteers  and 
militia  of  Pennsylvania  and  Maryland  that  had  gath- 
ered for  the  protection  of  the  city  were  of  a  different 
caliber  from  the  ill-disciplined  and  poorly  equipped 
countrymen  that  had  met  the  enemy  at  Bladensburg. 

Hearing  the  door  of  the  coffee  room  open  suddenly, 
Perry  rose  and  turned  in  time  to  meet  a  rain-soaked 
figure  in  a  greatcoat,  whose  voluminous  folds  wrapped 
him  from  head  to  foot.  The  stranger  threw  off  the 
heavy  cloak  and  stamped  his  feet  hard  upon  the  floor, 
sending  the  mud  flying  in  all  directions. 

"  Well  met,  indeed,  commodore!  "  exclaimed  Perry, 
as  he  recognized  in  the  dim  light  the  weather-beaten 
features  of  Commodore  Rogers. 

"  I  have  nev/s  for  you,  sir,"  said  the  latter,  speak- 


II I 


e 


1"^ 
f 


130 


THE  HERO   OF  ERIE. 


ing  in  his  gruff  but  cordial  voice,  "  and  news  that  may 
perhaps  surprise  you." 

"  Out  with  it,  then,'  Perry  exclaimed,  "  for  I'm  all 
impatience.  Have  you  heard  from  the  light  of  yester- 
day? " 

"  'Tis  just  that  that  I  wish  to  speak  with  you 
about,"  Rogers  returned.  "  I  have  seen  Read,  and 
interviewed  some  of  his  prisoners.  Sir  Peter  Parker, 
who  was  in  command  of  the  Mcnelaus,  was  killed  in  the 
fight — shot  by  one  of  Read's  riflemen.  His  body  was 
taken  on  board  the  ship,  and  she  has  now  dropped 
down  the  bay  to  join  the  rest  of  the  squadron.  How 
I  should  like  to  measure  yardarms  with  her  in  the  old 
Constitution! " 

Perry  did  not  reply  for  a  minute.  He  remembered 
having  seen  the  Menelaus  before  the  outbreak  of  the 
war,  and  upon  one  occasion  he  had  met  Sir  Peter,  when 
he  was  a  young  lieutenant  in  the  Mediterranean. 

"  One  could  not  wish  for  a  braver  or  more  gallant 
opponent,"  he  said.  "  I  should  much  have  liked  the 
honor  of  meeting  him  myself.  But  we  have  turned 
soldiers  now,  commodore,  or,  better,  you  have  turned 
artilleryman.  I  am  anything  they  may  choose  to  make 
of  me." 

"True  enough  what  you  say  of  me,"  Rogers  re- 
turned; "and  to-morrow,  if  the  enemy  attack  us,  I 
shall  have  charge  of  the  flotilla  men  of  the  city  bat- 
teries.   I  have  some  good  old  men-o'-war's  men  under 


lat  may 

I'm  all 
yester- 


AT  BALTIMORE. 


131 


me — truculent  fellows,  who  will  answer  for  their  guns, 
I  warrant  you.    What  post  will  you  take,  sir? " 

"  I  have  been  busy  helping  Webster  at  Fort  Cov- 
ington, and  expect  to  hear  to-night  to  what  position 
I  shall  be  assigned,"  Perry  rejoined.  "  Unless  I  am 
wrong  and  miss  my  reckoning  altogether,  to-morrow 
will  prove  an/ eventful  day  for  all  of  us." 

"  I  well  believe  that,"  Rogers  replied,  "  but  I  re- 
joice to  say  that  we  are  prepared,  and  that  General 
Strieker  has  under  him  three  of  the  best  regiments  in 
the  regular  service.  There  is  nothing  like  a  touch  of 
the  disciplined  and  professional  fighting  man  to  steady 
the  nerves  of  the  volunteer." 

"  Yes,  methinks  that  our  friend  General  Ross  may 
meet  with  a  surprise  on  the  morrow."  Perry  said  this 
with  a  half  smile,  for  since  the  affair  at  Washington 
Ross's  boasting  had  reached  the  ears  of  the  Americans. 

Rogers  had  stepped  to  the  door,  and  was  roaring 
down  the  hall  lustily  for  the  "  Boots  "  to  come  and 
take  his  muddy  foot  gear,  and  when  this  was  accom- 
plished he  turned  to  Perry  again. 

"  Ross  says  that  he  will  take  the  city,  and  he  doesn't 
care  if  it  rains  militia.  It's  more  likely  to  rain  lead  and 
iron,  and  I  trust  it  will  be  to  his  liking.  But  there  is 
more  news,"  the  old  sailor  added,  hitching  up  his  chair 
closer  to  Perry's.  "  We  have  discovered  the  whole  plan 
of  the  English  force  now  in  our  waters." 

"And  how  did  that  come  about,   pray,   may  I 


.'•'m 


^^^iiL^gga^aii^^».gsg4^.j^sMfepaimiia^ 


IS* 


THE  HERO  OF  ERIE. 


ask?"  questioned  Perry,  straightening  up  and  listen- 
ing eagerly. 

"  A  letter  was  found  in  the  pocket  of  a  young  Eng- 
lish officer  dead  in  the  field,  and,  if  it  is  true  that  his 
information  was  correct,  we  can  see  how  important  they 
regard  the  capture  of  this  city  in  making  up  their 
schedule.  I  saw  the  letter  myself,  and  I  can  tell  you 
that  it  was  most  interesting  reading.  But  knowledge 
of  an  enemy's  intentions  is  much  like  getting  the 
weather  gauge  of  him — an  advantage  that,  by  the  way, 
we  know  all  about,  commodore,  eh? " 

"  But  the  plan?  "  interposed  Perry.  "  Have  they 
any  definite  object  in  hovering  along  the  coast?  " 

"  That  they  have,  indeed,"  Rogers  answered,  "  and 
in  substance  it  is  as  follows:  From  this  letter  it  would 
seem  that  the  plan  was  not  left  to  the  admirals,  but 
was  devised  at  nothing  less  than  a  cabinet  meeting 
previous  to  the  departure  of  the  fleets  from  England. 
It  was  the  intention  to  capture  and  destroy  the  city 
of  Washington— in  which,  alas!  they  have  unfortu- 
nately been  so  successful;  then  to  follow  with  the 
attack  and  destruction  of  this  city,  Charleston,  and  Sa- 
vannah, and  to  end  up  the  whole  matter  with  a  con- 
centration of  forces  upon  New  Orleans.  It  is  for  this 
latter  purpose  that  the  great  fleet  is  gathering  at  the 
Bermudas.  Ship  after  ship  is  coming  in  there  loaded 
down  with  the  victors  of  the  Peninsula;  and,  more- 
over, they  are  intending  to  make  out  of  the  southern 


mm 


■w* 


MMto 


Iisten- 

Eng- 
lat  his 
It  they 


f-i^n- 


AT  BALTIMORE. 


133 


portion  of  Louisiana  a  British  dependency.  There  is 
assurance  for  you!  " 

"  It  strikes  i.ie,"  observed  Perry,  looking  out  the 
window  at  the  rainy  street,  "  that  they  are  taking  much 
for  granted.  '  In  stormy  latitudes  never  reckon  on  a 
fair  wind  until  you  get  it,'  is  a  good  motto." 

"  I  seem  to  feel  it  in  my  bones  that  we  will  be  suc- 
cessful to-morrow,"  observed  the  older  man,  "  and  God 
grant  that  this  part  of  their  programme  and  all  that 
is  to  follow  will  go  sadly  astray!  " 

"  Amen  to  that!  "  said  Perry.  "  I  think  they  would 
give  a  good  deal  to  lay  their  hands  upon  the  new  frigate 
building  at  the  yards." 

"  Indeed  they  would,"  Rogers  answered,  "  and  that 
would  disappoint  some  one  I  know  most  terribly." 

Although  it  was  not  publicly  announced  that  Perry 
was  to  have  command  of  the  Java,  it  was  well  known 
in  the  service  that  he  had  been  promised  her,  and  few 
there  were  who  begrudged  him  the  honor;  for,  al- 
though the  separate  victories  at  sea  had  added  glory 
and  luster  to  the  little  American  navy,  Perry's  was  the 
only  one  that  might  really  be  said  to  be  of  national 
importance.  This  was  universally  recognized,  and  his- 
torians of  the  later  day  have  not  failed  to  dwell  upon 
the  fact. 

But  to  return  to  the  two  old  comrades  and  their 
iconversation. 

"  Her  very  nanic,"   said  Commodore   Rogers,   re- 


w^ 


u 
K 


134 


THE   HERO  OF   ERIE. 


ferring  to  the  last  subject  spoken  of,  "  is  a  thorn  in 
the  flesh  of  every  Enghsh  officer.  I  should  like  to 
take  her  into  the  English  Channel,  or,  better,  anchor 
her  under  the  guns  of  Gibraltar  or  Malta." 

"  So  should  I,"  Perry  returned,  mentally  adding  to 
himself  the  words,  "  And  some  day  I  mean  to." 

At  this  moment  the  tap  boy  appeared  with  candles, 
for  it  was  growing  dark,  and  set  about  preparing  a 
table  in  the  corner  of  the  room.  Soon  both  officers 
were  seated. 

"  It  is  too  bad  that  Porter  is  not  here  to  enjoy 
this,"  Rogers  observed,  washing  down  a  mouthful  of 
mutton  pasty  with  a  swallow  of  port  wine. 

"  It  is,  indeed,"  Perry  returned.  "  And  now  1*11 
propose  a  toast :  Here's  to  success  of  our  arms  on  land 
and  sea;  here's  to  officers  and  men.  Here's  to  straight 
shots,  brave  hearts,  and  to  each  star  on  our  flag! " 

"  And  lasting  confusion  to  the  enemies  of  Ameri- 
ca," added  Commodore  Rogers. 

Then  both  rose  to  their  feet  and  drank  the  toast 
standing.  Hardly  had  they  finished  their  meal  and 
settled  themselves  down  in  the  easy-chairs  again  when 
a  wet  and  bedraggled  messenger,  in  a  uniform  that 
proclaimed  him  to  be  half  soldier  and  half  sailor,  ap- 
peared at  the  door. 

"  General  Strieker's  compliments,  gentlemen,"  he 
said.  "  All  officers  are  ordered  to  report  to  their 
posts." 


^Ss?^^5!SSSi!^^Ss25^^^^^sl^il 


rS^ 


lorn  in 
pike  to 
lanchor 

ling  to 


AT  BALTIMORE. 


«3S 


"  I  suppose  that  means  us,"  Rogers  observed,  ris- 
ing hastily.    "  No  sleep  in  a  bed  for  me  this  night." 

"  Nor  for  me  either,"  returned  Perry,  following  the 
elder  officer  to  the  door,  where  Rogers  was  roaring 
once  more  for  his  boots  and  greatcoat. 

A  few  minutes  later  they  had  both  passed  out  into 
the  dark,  rainy  Mght.  All  through  the  city  messen- 
gers were  hurrying,  and  a  body  of  troops,  following 
the  tap  of  a  rain-soaked  drum,  swept  by  the  corner  on 
the  double-quick. 


!»iMi;gjg/'ga^4J.i<aik«a'»,ij.rm';»^ 


m 


i 


I 


4> 

I 


f 


■4><ni«M«*«x** 


^" 


CHAPTER  XIV. 

DEFENDING   THE   CITY. 

When  day  broke  after  the  storm  ihere  was  a 
strange  sight  to  be  seen.  Off  the  mouth  of  the  Pa- 
tapsco  River  lay  huddled  a  fleet  of  forty-two  sail.  Tak- 
ing advantage  of  the  light  wind  and  favorable  tide, 
they  had  crept  close  in  to  land  late  the  previous  even- 
ing, v/ith  boats  out  carefully  feeling  their  way  ahead 
of  them  with  i  lead. 

The  heaviest  ships  of  the  line  had  been  anchored 
across  the  channel,  while  the  sloops  of  war  and  smaller 
craft,  that  had  b^en  lightened  to  decrease  their 
draught,  worked  their  way  nearer  to  shore. 

It  was  an  anxious  moment  for  the  American  forces 
in  the  trenches  and  small  forts  that  had  been  erected 
for  the  defense  of  the  city.  The  landing  place  that 
the  British  had  chos.;n  was  some  twelve  miles  distant, 
and,  unfortunately,  at  that  point  no  batteries  had  been 
erected  to  oppose  them.  Late  in  the  afternoon  some 
five  thousand  redcoats  and  four  thousand  marines  had 
reached  the  shore  in  .afety,  and  by  the  morning  of 
the  1 2th  they  were  in  readiness  to  begin  their  ad- 
vance. 

IS6 


■wfiBK-^^s; 


iiPiiiipiiiiiJi 


lliiiPPiMi 


DEFENDING  THE  CITY. 


137 


ihere  was  a 
h  of  the  Pa- 
vo  sail.  Tak- 
vorable  tide, 
revious  even- 
ir  way  ahead 

een  anchored 
ir  and  smaller 
ecrease  their 
)re. 

nerican  forces 

been  erected 

ig  place  that 

miles  distant, 

ries  had  been 

ernoon  some 

marines  had 

morning  of 

fin  their  ad- 


In  the  meantime  the  frigates  had  made  their  way 
up  the  river,  and  with  sixteen  bomb  vessels  had  an- 
chored within  about  two  miles  of  Fort  McHenry. 

And  now,  although  the  hero  of  Erie  bore  no  promi- 
nent part  in  the  operations  that  followed,  it  is  well  to 
describe  the  condition  of  affairs  and  all  that  passed 
under  his  immediate  observation. 

Fort  McHenry  was  commanded  by  Lieutenant- 
Colonel  George  Armistead,  of  the  United  States  artil- 
lery ;  at  the  Lazaretto  was  stationed  Lieutenant  Rutter, 
at  the  head  of  some  artillerymen,  sailors,  and  volun- 
teers; and  at  Fort  Covington  were  Rogers  and  Lieu- 
tenant Newcomb,  of  the  navy,  with  a  force  of  about 
three  hundred  men.  Near  by  was  a  six-gun  battery 
that  had  been  hastily  erected  and  placed  under  com- 
mand of  Lieutenant  Webster.  Back  of  this  were  lines 
of  intrenchments  and  breastworks,  behind  which  lay 
hidden  the  militia  and  the  volunteers  from  the  city 
of  Baltimore,  who  had  bravely  turned  out  almost  to 
a  man. 

In  all,  at  the  forts  and  batteries  there  were  about 
twelve  hundred  men,  while  the  inner  lines  of  fortifica- 
tions sheltered  perhaps  four  thousand.  All  the  forces 
were  under  the  command  of  Major-General  Samuel 
Smith,  who  was  assisted  by  General  Winder,  of  the 
United  States  army,  and  by  General  Strieker,  of  Bal- 
timore.    Strieker's  brigade,   composed   principally  of 

riflemen  and  infantry  and  Pennsylvania  and  Maryland 
10 


fcy^fejt? 


-;jiWi!M:mr,k;-u»!M^^?ii^&t^^^ 


mmm 


s,^jssses=£E9 


BiiP 


M 


1 


y^iiv    -■-   :'X^.i:: 


138 


THE   HERO  OF  ERIE. 


volunteers,  had  been  dispatched  to  intercept  the  ad- 
vance of  the  British  invasion,  that  was  headed  by  Gen- 
eral Ross,  seconded  by  none  less  than  Adniral  Cochrane 
himself,  who  commanded  the  marine  detachment. 

This  was  the  position  at  ten  o'clock  on  the  morn- 
ing of  the  1 2th.  Scouts  had  brought  back  the  news 
of  the  enemy's  approach,  and  by  two  o'clock  in  the 
afternoon  shots  were  exchanged  between  the  outposts 
of  General  Strieker's  brigade  and  the  enemy,  who  had 
pushed  on  four  miles  thus  far  without  meeting  any 
opposition. 

Beyond  all  doubt  General  Ross  was  congratulat- 
ing himself  upon  the  ease  with  which  he  was  going 
to  duplicate  the  taking  of  Washington. 

The  American  artillery  opened  fire  with  great 
fierceness  upon  the  British  front,  and  the  action  be- 
came general,  the  Fifth  and  Twenty-seventh  regulars 
sustaining  the  brunt  of  the  attack  in  a  splendid  man- 
ner. But  the  American  forces  were  greatly  outnum- 
bered, and,  owing  to  the  length  of  the  enemy's  lines 
and  the  situation  of  the  ground,  Strieker  found  it  im- 
possible after  a  while  to  use  artillery  or  cavalry  to  any 
advantage,  and  thus  the  main  defense  was  made  by 
the  muskets  of  the  foot  soldiers  and  the  rifles  of  a 
small  detachment  of  sharpshooters  posted  on  the  left 
of  the  line.  So  rapid  and  effective  was  the  fire  that 
this  small  body  of  perhaps  seventeen  hundred  men  suc- 
ceeded in  stopping  the  enemy's  forward  movement; 


m 


i-  ^  .*;,«■•,  '.»a^:^-|ii«'jj^;.-  *i&- 


^tt^i^3!fS 


m 


the  ad- 

by  Gen- 

ochrane 

lent. 

e  morn- 

le  news 

in  th«? 

autposts 

ivho  had 

ing  any 

3[ratulat- 
is  going 

;h  great 
:tion  be- 

regulars 
lid  man- 
outnum- 
ly's  lines 
id  it  im- 
y  to  any 
made  by 
fles  of  a 

the  left 
fire  that 
men  suc- 
)venient ; 


DEFENDING  THE  CITY. 


»39 


^'&^ 


and  it  was  here  that  General  Ross  met  his  doom,  fall- 
ing with  several  other  British  officers  as  he  emerged 
at  the  head  of  his  column  from  a  small  patch  of 
woods. 

Now,  owing  to  the  fact  that  Strieker  feared  that 
his  flank  might  be  turned,  and  that  if  this  happened 
he  would  be  cut  off  from  re-enforcements,  he  retreated 
slowly,  back  upon  the  line  of  intrenchments  before  the 
city. 

The  American  loss  was  trifling  compared  with 
that  of  the  English;  and  Colonel  Brooke,  who  had  suc- 
ceeded to  the  command  at  the  death  of  General  Ross, 
advanced  no  farther  than  the  line  which  General 
Strieker  had  held,  and  there  encamped. 

It  was  a  busy  night  for  the  Americans.  There  was 
no  rest  for  them.  Picks  and  shovels  were  plied  indus- 
triously, and  when  the  next  day  dawned  all  the  in- 
trenchments had  been  strengthened,  and  new  earth- 
works had  been  thrown  up  completely  covering  the 
lines  of  attack.  Not  much  was  accomplished  this  day 
by  either  side,  although  Colonel  Brooke  pushed  for- 
ward to  within  a  mile  of  the  trenches,  drove  in  some 
of  the  outposts,  and  by  nightfall  was  apparently  pre- 
paring for  an  attack  in  the  darkness.  But  nothing 
occurred  to  break  the  stillness,  although  Strieker's 
force  slept  upon  their  arms,  prepared  for  instant  action. 

General  Strieker,  who  had  gone  down  to  the  front 
with  some  men  of  Stansbury's  and  Foreman's  brigade, 


'^^mm'i-'!^mm''''^i. 


ii 


I 


■li'l.'BMlIll 


'iiiLiiuaiiifBa" 


140 


THE   HERO  OF  ERIE. 


which  was  entirely  made  up  of  seamen  and  marines 
taken  from  the  command  under  Commodore  Rogers, 
looked  out  over  the  breastworks  at  dawn  of  the  14th. 
He  had  walked  to  the  front  in  company  with  Captain 
Bird,  who  was  then  in  command  of  the  United  States 
dragoons,  and  from  the  vantage  point  which  they  had 
selected  he  could  look  down  the  road  toward  the  posi- 
tion of  the  enemy's  encampment. 

It  had  been  a  pitch-dark  night,  and  the  rain  had 
fallen  heavily.  The  roads  were  muddy,  and  the  earth- 
works had  been  almost  washed  away  in  some  places; 
the  trenches  where  the  American  troops  had  passed 
the  night  were  ankle-deep  in  water.  The  poor  men 
were  tired,  and  .'or  three  days  had  been  soaked  to  the 
skin;  yet  they  were  all  prepared  for  the  battle  which 
no  one  doubted  would  take  place,  for  the  guns  of  the 
fleet  had  been  pounding  all  the  night  at  the  forts  on 
the  water  front. 

As  the  general  looked  toward  the  woods,  and  as 
the  light  broadened,  he  turned  to  Captain  Bird,  who 
was  at  his  elbow. 

"  Surely,  I  think,  captain,"  he  said,  "  that  if  the 
enemy  were  there  we  would  see  something  of  him 
by  this  time,  and  I  judge  that  we  would  have  heard 
from  him  also.  Do  you  think  it  possible  that  he  could 
have  left?" 

"  I  hardly  think  so,"  was  the  captain's  rejoinder. 
"  It   was   reported    that    they   were   waiting   for   re- 


S«l<5.'S«W5«5«WW' 


wftt'---" 


i^ms'i 


marines 
Rogers, 
[he  14th. 
Captain 
bd  States 
they  had 
the  posi- 

rain  had 

he  earth- 

le  places; 

id  passed 

oor  men 

ed  to  the 

tie  which 

ins  of  the 

e  forts  on 

Is,  and  as 
Bird,  who 

lat  if  the 
g  of  him 
ave  heard 
t  he  could 

rejoinder. 
f  for  re- 


'~:5': 


^^iPl^pi 


•lilliii 


Pf-"' 


DEFENDING  THE  CITY. 


141 


enforcements,  but  no  outposts  being  visible  does  seem 
strange,  I'll  grant  you." 

Evidently  the  stillness  and  lack  of  movement  at 
the  front  had  attracted  the  attention  of  other  officers 
also,  and  the  curiosity  of  the  men  themselves  had  been 
aroused,  for  all  along  the  line  heads  appeared,  and  soon 
the  earthworks  were  black  with  watching  figures. 
Presently  a  half  score  of  men,  under  orders  of  General 
Strieker,  darted  out  across  the  fields  toward  where 
the  British  had  been,  some  following  the  road  and 
others  boldly  plunging  into  the  woods.  Not  a  sound 
was  heard,  and  soon  some  of  the  men  were  seen  re- 
turning on  the  run. 

The  enemy  had  retreated!  Soon  the  bugles  were 
singing  for  the  cavalry  and  the  dragoons  to  start  in 
pursuit.  Perhaps  the  English  had  discovered  that  it 
had  "  rained  militia "  with  a  vengeance. 

So  much  for  the  doings  on  the  land  side  of  the 
city  approaches,  and  now  let  us  return  to  the  opera- 
tions of  the  English  fleet  that  on  the  12th  we  had 
left  anchored  in  the  form  of  a  semicircle  in  front  of 
the  forts  and  the  city  batteries,  but  outside  of  gun- 
shot. 

It  was  here  that  one  of  the  most  stirring  scenes 
of  the  war  had  been  enacted,  and  one  that  had  been 
immediately  under  Perry's  eyes  and  in  which  he  had 
taken  no  small  part.  Fort  McHenry  was  about  two 
miles  below  the  city,  and  on  the  morning  of  the  13th 


■-'^sssESr.-'" 


agWfljgg^jieywiifciiiiwyjtJBiwMailiiBi 


itaM 


143 


THE   HERO  OF  ERIE. 


1 


six  bomb  vessels  and  several  armed  with  the  destruc- 
tive rockets  that  the  English  then  employed  had 
begun  an  attack  that  had  been  continued  unceasingly 
until  three  o'clock  in  the  afternoon;  but  owing  to 
the  distance  chosen  by  the  EngUsh  commander,  Uttle 
harm  had  been  done  up  to  that  hour,  and  the  Ameri- 
cans had  reserved  their  fire  until  the  vessels  should 
approach  within  the  range  at  which  their  ordnance 
could  accomplish  some  results.  This  may  have  en- 
couraged the  Englishmen  in  their  attack,  but  the 
fierce  fire  that  they  received  was  now  too  much  for 
them.  From  the  fort  and  shore  batteries  shot  and 
shell  rained  down  upon  them,  and  but  a  few  minutes 
was  enough  to  compel  them  to  slip  their  cables  and 

wear  off. 

Great  was  the  satisfaction  and  delight  of  the 
Americans,  who  thought  they  saw  in  this  evidences 
that  the  enemy  wished  to  discontinue  the  struggle; 
but  all  those  of  greater  experience  knew  that  such 
a  slight  discomfiture  could  produce  no  lasting  result, 
and  that  the  bulldog  courage  and  tenacity  of  the  Eng- 
lish would  lead  them  to  much  further  and  more  active 
demonstrations. 

While  the  forces  under  General  Strieker  were 
busily  engaged  in  the  night  throwing  up  earthworks, 
the  artillerymen  and  the  "  sea-fencibles,"  as  the  sailors 
were  called,  were  eagerly  on  the  lookout,  and  the 
crews  slept  about  their  guns,  seeking  shelter  in  the 


J 


estruc- 
|ed    had 
asingly 
ing  to 
r,  little 
Ameri- 
should 
rdnance 
ave  en- 
i)ut   the 
uch  for 
)ot  and 
minutes 
>les  and 

of  the 
k^idences 
truggle; 
at  such 
:  result, 
le  Eng- 
i  active 

r  were 
iworks, 
sailors 
id  the 
in  the 


DEFENDING  THE  CITY. 


M3 


bastions  and  under  the  improvised  tents  in  the  pour- 
ing and  continuous  rain. 

At  ten  o'clock  Rogers  and  Perry,  who  were  sleep- 
ing in  a  little  house  near  the  Covington  fort,  were 
aroused  by  a  knocking  on  the  door,  and  they  were 
ready  in  an  instant  for  any  action. 

An  old  quartermaster  who  was  acting  as  a  ser- 
geant of  artillery  stood  there  with  his  tarpaulin  hat 
in  his  hand,  the  rain  trickling  down  his  grizzled 
face. 

"  There  seems  to  be  some  movement  out  in  the 
river,"  he  said.  "  At  least,  one  of  the  sentries  reported 
that  he  heard  the  click  of  a  capstan,  and  that  some 
of  the  vessels  are  getting  at  their  anchor." 

"  A  night  attack,  perhaps,"  observed  Perry. 

"I  expected  as  much,"  returned  Rogers;  "but 
we  have  better  guns  this  time  than  we  had  last 
week  on  the  Potomac,  and  we'll  make  it  warm  for 
them." 

When  they  reached  the  shore  all  listened  intently, 
but  nothing  could  be  heard.  All  at  once  Perry  grasped 
Rogers  by  the  arm. 

"  Oars!  Do  you  hear  them?  Yes,  plainly,  off  there 
to  the  right.    Listen!  " 

"  Oars,  sure  enough,"  Rogers  returned,  and,  call- 
ing the  quartermaster,  he  turned  out  the  guard  and 
passed  the  word  that  the  enemy  were  ascending  the 
Patapsco. 


MMii;iiiMW)ijU.iaBitiMii!j. "."  >  '.■>«"■ 


THE   HERO  OF  ERIE. 


Word  was  sent  to  the  Lazaretto  and  the  city  bat- 
teries, and  also  to  inform  the  barges  that  were  an- 
chored close  inshore,  off  the  wharves. 

While  the  American  troops  were  hastening  to  their 
stations  and  everything  was  being  made  ready  to  pre- 
pare for  an  attack,  which  they  supposed  would  take 
place  at  daylight,  a  cheer  was  heard  from  up  the  river, 
and  bright  gashes  of  flame  ripped  out  against   the 

darkness. 

It  was  then  perceived  that  a  number  of  English 
barges  with  muffled  oars  had  passed  by  the  batteries 
and  entered  the  river,  in  order  tc  attack  the  forts 
and  the  city  from  the  rear.  Even  the  cheering  of 
the  Englishmen  out  in  the  water  could  be  heard  dis- 
tinctly, and,  as  if  at  a  signal,  their  first  gun  had 
been  answered  by  tremendous  cannonading  from 
the  great  vessels  that  were  anchored  in  line  oppo- 
site the  fort.  The  glare  of  their  guns  lit  the  heavens, 
and  the  fiery  paths  of  their  rockets  as  they  shot 
in  toward  the  forts  seamed  and  crossed  the  cloudy 

night. 

All  along  the  shore  the  American  batteries  replied, 
their  fire  being  principally  directed  against  the  barges, 
whose  position  was  outlined  by  the  flash  of  their  own 
firing.  The  scene  was  magnificent  and  sublime,  and 
one  American,  then  present  as  a  prisoner  on  board 
one  of  the  English  vessels,  was  so  inspired  by  the 
sight  that  he  has  described  it  in  verses  that  will  last 


ity  bat- 
ere  an- 
te their 
to  pre- 
tld  take 
le  river, 
nst   the 

English 
)atteries 
he  forts 
ering  of 
;ard  dis- 
jun  had 
ig  from 
e  oppo- 
heavens, 
ey  shot 
I  cloudy 

replied, 
barges, 
leir  own 
me,  and 
1  board 
by  the 
ivill  last 


iiiiPii 


DEFENDING  THE  CITY, 


MS 


through  the  ages — as  long  as  America  has  Americans 
to  sing  her  praises,  and  a  flag  that  represents  liberty, 
courage,  and  humanity. 

The  Star-spangled  Banner  then  sprang  into  life 
from  the  pen  of  Francis  Scott  Key,  and  all  the  school 
children  who  have  sung  it,  and  all  those  who  know  it 
by  heart,  have  a  complete  picture  in  verse  of  the  bom- 
bardment of  Fort  McHenry. 

It  would  seem  that  the  long  bombardment  of  the 
13th  and  the  terrific  cannonading  of  the  night  follow- 
ing would  have  almost  smothered  the  little  fort,  but 
what  does  the  poet  say? 

"O  say,  can  you  see  by  the  dawn's  early  light 

What  so  proudly  we  hailed  at  the  twilight's  last  gleaming, 
Whose  broad  stripes  and  bright  stars,  through  the  perilous  fight. 

O'er  the  ramparts  we  watched  were  so  gallantly  streaming? 
And  the  rockets'  red  glare,  the  bombs  bursting  in  air, 
Gave  proof  through  the  night  that  our  flag  was  still  there. 
Oh !  say,  does  that  star-spangled  banner  yet  wave 
O'er  the  land  of  the  free  and  the  home  of  the  brave  ? 

"  On  the  shore,  dimly  seen  through  the  mists  of  the  deep. 
Where  the  foe's  haughty  host  in  dread  silence  reposes. 
What  is  that  which  the  breeze,  o'er  the  towering  steep. 

As  it  fitfully  blows,  half  conceals,  half  discloses  ? 
Now  it  catches  the  gleam  of  the  morning's  first  beam. 
In  full  glory  reflected  now  shines  on  the  stream. 
'Tis  the  star-spangled  banner!  Oh,  long  may  it  wave 
O'er  the  land  of  the  free  and  the  home  of  the  brave ! " 


■•^•|■■5^V';K^C■ 


•i^5iaji88fe^ijiifeSS^<a'^»y-^^»''Jii>^ 


»'5i*-->-f  *«!»;* 


MiiiiHiHta 


■(.■«^V*">aSc»o*iW.  iifirt!-"' 


146 


THE   HERO  OF   ERIE. 


*>,; 


What  a  joy  it  must  have  been  to  the  eyes  of  all 
the  Americans  to  have  seen  that  flag  floating  over 
the  ramparts  when  day  broke! 

Occasionally  Major  Armistead  would  reply  with  a 
gun,  in  order  to  let  those  farther  up  the  river  know 
that  he  was  yet  in  the  land  of  the  living. 

The  fleet  was  not  damaged  to  any  extent,  but  with 
the  venturesome  barges  it  was  another  story.  Rogers's 
crew  at  Fort  Covington  and  all  the  flotilla  men 
poured  into  them  such  a  destructive  fire  that  only  the 
darkness  and  their  ceasing  to  reply  saved  them  from 
complete  annihilation.  Two  of  the  barges  were  sunk, 
and  in  the  rest  that  managed  to  pe  were  many 

dead  and  wounded.    The  loss  sustained  by  the  Ameri- 
cans on  shore  was  trifling  in  comparison. 

By  seven  o'clock  on  the  morning  of  the  14th  the 
British  fire  ceased.  The  vessels  drew  off  into  the 
Chesapeake,  and  Baltimore  was  saved. 

A  contemporary  writer  makes  a  comment  on  the 
action  in  one  of  the  "morals"  that  writers  of  that 
da-  upparen^V  attempted  to  draw  from  almost  every 
occurre.-  ,  but  it  is  so  apt  in  this  connection  that 
it  might  be  v/ell  to  quote  it: 

"The  disastrous  result  of  this  attack  on  Balti- 
more by  a  formidable  land  and  naval  force  flushed 
with  victory  and  confident  of  success  adds  another  to 
the  many  evidences  which  the  history  of  human  af- 
fairs has  furnished,  that  it  does  not  belong  to  man  to 


'L.-^'-c 


;s  of  all 
|ng  over 

with  a 
ler  know 

but  with 
Rogers's 
ilia  men 
only  the 
em  from 
jre  sunk, 
:re  many 
e  Ameri- 

14th  the 
into   the 

t  on  the 
i  of  that 
3St  every 
ion  that 

»n  Balti- 
;  flushed 
lother  to 
iman  af- 
>  man  to 


1^ 


DEFENDING  THE  CITY. 


147 


boast  of  his  strength  or  achievements,  and  much  less 
to  indulge  in  sentiments  of  contempt  for  others."  All 
of  which  is>  very  true. 

As  soon  as  it  was  seen  that  Baltimore  was  no 
longer  to  be  the  object  of  attack,  Commodore  Perry's 
duties  his  own  station  called  him  to  the  North, 
and  he  set  out  with  all  speed  for  Newport. 


i    ■! 


i-""-;-^- 


-jM.^'fir.t'i^,  A-;jj.'.i  jtf! :  'I'iiVisJTJ'. 


):*«r4<d«^«^cit-.'Mv%a  -■- 


'■  [■, 


A    RESCUE. 


The  early  winter  of  1816  passed  by  uneventfully, 
except  for  one  exciting  experience  that  will  be  related 
hereafter  in  this  chapter. 

Perry  was  but  thirty-one  years  of  age,  and  yet  at 
this  time  he  was  perhaps  Newport's  most  distin- 
guished and  important  citizen.  If  anythmg  happened 
where  action  and  direction  were  needed  in  the  super- 
intendence of  the  men  at  work,  Perry  was  called  upon. 
His  appearance  at  a  fire,  for  instance,  was  a  signal  for 
all  to  report  to  him  for  orders;  and  so  used  had  he 
become  to  thus  always  holding  himself  in  readiness 
for  any  emergency  that  it  was  said  that  he  "  slept 
with  his  boots  on." 

During  the  year  181 5  he  had  been  busily  engaged 

in  getting  the  Java  ready  to  proceed  to  sea.    She  now 

lay  in  the  harbor  of  Newport,  under  Perry's  eye,  and 

not  a  stick  had  been  put  into  her  that  he  had  not 

inspected,   and   he   knew   the   quality   of   every   foot 

of  the  standing  rigging  and  running  gear.     He  was 

hoping    that    as    soon    as    the    inclement    weather 

was  over  he  should  be  sent   to  the   Mediterranean, 
148 


[-entfully, 
related 

d  yet  at 
distin- 
lappened 
le  super- 
ed  upon, 
iignal  for 
1  had  he 
readiness 
e  "slept 

engaged 
She  now 
eye,  and 
had  not 
;ry  foot 
He  was 
weather 
rranean, 


A  RESCUF. 


M9 


but  time  sped  on,  and  he  stayed  quietly  at  New- 
port. 

On  the  loth  of  January,  1816,  while  he  was  seated 
in  his  study  reading,  there  came  a  knock  on  the  door, 
and  a  breathless  sailor  stood  there  twirling  his  hat  in 
his  hands. 

"  Well,  my  man,  what  can  I  do  for  you?  "  Perry 
inquired,  in  the  rather  fatherly  tone  that  marks  the 
officer  when  addressing  a  man  of  his  own  crew. 

"  A  messenger's  arrived  from  Brenton's  Neck,  sir," 
spoke  up  the  man,  "  with  the  information  that  a  ves- 
sel is  stranded  on  the  reefs  there,  sir,  and  they  say 
that  there  are  several  men  to  be  seen  lashed  to  the 
riggi"g-     ^jod  J^elp  them  in  such  weather  as  this!" 

It  was  blowing  very  hard.  The  dry,  powdery  snow 
swept  over  the  ground  into  little  drifts  under  the  lee 
of  every  tree  and  fence-post.  The  waters  of  the  bay 
looked  black  and  angry,  tossed  and  crossed  by  a  suc- 
cession of  feathery  white  caps.  If  one  listened,  the 
booming  of  the  heavy  surf  against  the  icy  rocks  be- 
yond the  harbor  could  be  heard  from  the  southward. 

"  Step  inside,  my  man,"  said  Perry,  ushering  the 
sailor  into  the  spacious  hallway.  "  I  will  immediately 
repair  to  the  yard.  But,  hold!  perhaps  it  is  better 
for  me  to  prepare  them  for  my  coming.  You  will 
hurry  there  ahead  of  me,  and  tell  the  bargemen  to 
meet  me  at  the  fish  basin  and  have  the  barge  ready 
to  be  put  into  the  water." 


I 


I 


I 


'':Mm^m(im^f)i'wmvii!tmmK^fi'mvi!^h9^&,'ji:!iSA<±.. 


-jP'IP' 


ISO 


THE  HERO  OF  ERIE. 


"  Ay,  ay,  sir! "  the  man  returned,  touching  hh  cap. 
"  I'm  not  a  bargeman  myself,  but  a  right  good  oar, 
sir;  ten  years  a  whaler  and  four  years  in  the  Consti- 
tution. If  there's  a  vacancy  in  the  boat,  might  I  ask 
for  it?" 

"  It  is  yours,"  Perry  replied.  "  Report  ready  for 
duty." 

In  fifteen  minutes  the  commodore  was  seen  com- 
ing down  the  snow-covered  walk.  The  group  of 
men  huddled  in  the  lee  of  the  Government  building 
stepped  out  to  meet  him  and  drew  up  at  atten- 
tion. 

The  coxswain  of  the  barge  saluted.  "  I've  been 
down  to  see  the  wreck,  sir,"  he  said.  "  She  is  in  plain 
sight  from  the  rocks  on  the  other  side,  but  I  doubt 
her  holding  together  long.  She's  pounding  very  bad, 
sir." 

"  Are  the  men  still  on  her?  "  asked  Perry  quickly. 

"  Yes,  sir  ;    I  could  count  eleven  in   the  mizzen 

rigging." 

Perry  glanced  at  the  crew.  Inside  in  the  shel- 
tered waters  of  the  bay  it  was  rough  and  tumbling. 
What  must  it  be  outside,  where  the  broad  sweep  of 
the  Atlantic  dashed  in  toward  the  iron-bound  coast? 
The  air  was  full  of  tiny  icy  particles,  that  stung  the 
face  and  eyes  and  matted  the  hair  and  eyebrows;  but, 
headed  by  the  commodore,  the  men  marched  down 
to  the  basin,  where  the  big  barge  swung  from  davits 


m 


(l--J;«l»v«>f»«.-:iv*j»:*j;;ji-gpi;-l? 


:hing  hij  cap. 
[ht  good  oar, 
f\  the  Consti- 
might  I  ask 

ort  ready  for 

'as  seen  ^om- 
he  group  of 
nent  building 
up   at   atten- 

I've  been 

she  is  in  plain 

but  I  doubt 

ling  very  bad, 

Perry  quickly. 
1   the  mizzen 

in  the  shel- 
nd  tumbling. 
3ad  sweep  of 
bound  coast? 
at  stung  the 
'ebrows;  but, 
arched  down 

from  davits 


#^^, 


^f^^m^'WP 


^gjPHiiiPlpi  piyi'kifpi. 


A  RESCUE. 


151 


under  the  shfc?ter  of  a  roof  shed  that  extended  over 
the  water. 

It  was  the  work  but  of  a  minute  to  lower  her 
away,  and  Perry  noticed  with  satisfaction  that  there 
was  a  place  in  the  thwarts  for  the  ex-whaleman  who 
had  been  so  anxious  to  accompany  him.  There  were 
no  laggards  in  the  crew,  but  some  of  the  men  shook 
their  heads  ominously  as  they  looked  ovit  toward  the 
mouth  of  the  harbor. 

"  Come,  my  lads,"  cried  Perry  cheerily  as  he 
stepped  into  the  stern  sheets,  "  we  are  going  to  the 
rescue  and  relief  of  shipwrecked  seamen!  " 

In  another  instant  he  had  given  the  order  to  shove 
off,  and  the  men  were  bending  at  their  oars. 

As  they  got  out  beyond  the  end  of  Goat  Island 
the  full  force  of  the  wind  was  felt.  It  seemed  as  if 
the  barge  at  first  made  little  headway  even  under 
the  impetus  of  the  twelve  pairs  of  sturdy  arms.  The 
short,  choppy  seas  thumped  under  the  broad  bow,  and 
shot  up  constant  jets  of  icy  water  that  deluged  the 
men  from  head  to  foot.  But  it  was  seen  that  they 
were  gaining,  and  slowly  the  barge  crept  out  to  the 
harbor  mouth,  and  there  they  began  to  feel  the  heave 
of  the  great  surges  that  rolled  in  from  the  southward. 

The  strong  set  of  the  tide  at  one  time  threatened 
to  bring  them  in  dangerously  near  to  the  point,  but 
by  strenuous  efforts  they  weathered  it,  and,  once  clear 
of  the  land,  the  wreck  of  the  schooner  could  be  seen 


..I 
fl 


A 
', 

^ 


H 


i 


■tf\tiff§»iji;j,l;;'«|;'i  ,','B«<^  "jT  ■«l^ll.  wgyiijiiii;;  ^yiwii^wjiui^.^^  ■.. 


152 


THE   HERO  OF   ERIE. 


jammed  on  the  reef  not  far  from  where  the  lightship 
now  swings  its  warning. 

"  Now,  my  lads,"  cried  Perry,  "  there  she  is!  Get 
your  backs  into  your  work.     Pull  all  together!" 

The  seamen,  with  set  teeth,  were  putting  every 
ounce  they  possessed  into  the  backward  heave,  but 
the  wind  was  blowing  with  terrific  force.  It  threat- 
ened, as  they  lifted  their  oars  out  of  the  water,  to  tear 
them  out  of  their  hands.  The  barge  would  hang  for 
a  minute  on  the  top  of  a  wave,  and  then  go  racing 
down  into  a  hollow  so  deep  that  those  watching  on 
shore  would  hold  their  breath.  But  inch  by  inch  she 
gained  against  the  wind. 

The  cold  and  benumbed  seamen  on  the  schooner 
gave  a  feeble  cheer  as  they  sav/  what  a  fight  was 
being  made  to  reach  them.  Over  an  hour  it  took  to 
row  that  scant  two  miles— an  hour  of  constant  heart- 
breaking work  that  none  but  the  hardiest  constitu- 
tions couid  have  survived. 

The  whaleman  was  pulling  port  stroke,  and  every 
now  and  then  he  would  forget  the  man-o'-war  train- 
ing and  call  out  the  old  whaling  phrases  of  encour- 
agement: 

"  Now  for  ten  good  strokes,  and  ten  more  on  top 
of  'em!  Pull  as  if  you  was  to  win  a  wife,  lads!  Lift 
the  sides  out  of  her  now! "  and  so  on. 

The  men  would  double  their  efforts,  and  soon  but 
a  half  cable's  length  separated  them  from  the  shud- 


-JT 


g| 


m:- 


[liglitship 

is!    Get 
er!  " 

|ng  every 
jave,  but 
t  threat- 
r,  to  tear 
hang  for 
o  racing 
ching  on 
inch  she 

schooner 
fight  was 
t  took  to 
mt  heart- 
constitu- 

nd  every 

'ar  train- 

encour- 

e  on  top 
is!    Lift 

oon  but 
le  shud- 


HLWiWImif^iVT  'i'- 


A  RESCUE. 


aim 


mm. 


mm 


153 


dering,  tottering  wreck.  The  white-topped  seas  were 
breaking  completely  over  her.  Her  bow  was  gone 
clear  from  the  fore  chains,  and  but  little  of  her  quarter- 
deck was  above  the  water. 

Perry  saw  as  he  stood  up,  steadying  himself  with 
one  hand  on  the  coxswain's  shoulder,  that  the  wreck 
could  hold  together  but  a  few  minutes  longer. 

It  requires  great  skill  to  approach  a  stranded  ves- 
sel in  a  heavy  seaway,  where  there  is  danger,  even 
when  one  is  to  leeward,  that  a  back  set  may  grind 
the  rescuing  boat  to  pieces  against  the  sides  of  the 
wreck;  but,  after  one  unsuccessful  attempt.  Perry 
managed  to  get  a  rope  passed  between  the  barge  and 
what  was  left  of  the  schooner,  and  to  his  delight  he 
counted  eleven  men  still  alive  on  board  of  her,  al- 
though some  were  almost  incapable  of  movement,  and 
but  for  the  strong  lashings  that  bound  them  to  the 
rigging  would  have  been  swept  off  long  before. 

Few   of   the   men   had   strength   enough    to   help 

the  barge's  crew  work  in  closer,  but  with  great  skill 

all  were  taken  in  over  the  bow  and  passed  aft  to  the 

stern  sheets.     It  was  fortunate,  indeed,  that  she  was 

so  large  and  able  a  sea  boat,  and  could  hold  them  all 

in  comfort  and  safety.     The  men  were  busy  fending 

off  pieces  of  wreckage  that  threatened  to  stave  in  the 

barge's  sides,  and  it  was  a  great  relief  when  they  cast 

off  the  bow  line  and  turned  the  head  in  toward  the 

shore. 

II 


I 


i 


'^-'t^^y^lff!r^'i'S!^-^^'-^SpSW'^St^~_SS:TJ^'  r- 


■■■  >i 


MMIB 


HM* 


MIM 


154 


THE   HERO   OF   ERllL 


It  was  very  different  m>w,  coiming  .aiiwri  liosose 
the  wind.  They  would  sway  upon  tae  top  oi  a  sixxi- 
dering  sea,  tear  along  with  its  seething  orest.  and 
then  apparently  wait  for  anoether  to  heave  tbtm  ia 
toward  the  harbor  mouth.  Before  they  reached  1-  the 
wrecked  craft  went  all  to  pieces.  In  ten  minutes  LUey 
were  almost  under  the  shelter  oi  the  neck,  and  in  iess 
than  half  an  hour  the  barge  and  her  happy  crew  were 
safely  in  the  basin,  where  a  large  crowd  had  gathered 
to  greet  the  rescuers  and  the  rescued.  The  cheers 
of  the  Java's  men  sounded  above  the  gale. 

The  wrecked  vessel  proved  to  be  the  schooner 
Eliza,  commanded  and  owned  by  Captain  Charles 
Gorton,  a  Newport  man.  Most  of  the  crew  were 
Rhode  Islanders  also,  and  Perry's  popularity  in  the 
State  grew  into  a  deep  affection,  that  was  felt  for  him 
by  all  the  inhabitants  thereof. 

A  contemporary  writer,  in  referring  to  this  resold 
and  after  describing  the  manner  of  it  wrote  as  fol- 
lows: 

"  This  simple  occurrence  speaks  more  forcibly  :ban 
the  most  elaborate  panegyric  in  proof  cvf  th;  htsmane 
and  benevolent  heart  of  Perrv.  We  here  benoid  the 
same  man  who  upon  Lake  Erie,  clothed  wic  sd  the 
terrors  of  war,  was  himself  a  host  to  the  enemy,  en- 
gaging in  spirit  and  alacrity  in  an  enterprise  not  to 
mee*  and  conquer  the  enenny;  not  to  acquire  glory 
and  renown,  and  swell  the  expansixt  i^^e  of  his  own 


lis  reset*. 
te  as  foi- 

:jbly  *bmn 
^  htnnane 
iflold  the 
=  *a  the 
""T,  en- 
-  not  to 
ire  g'lory 
his  own 


IP 


A  RESCUE. 


»5S 


schooner 

Charles 

rew  were 

ty  in  the 

It  for  him 


fame;  «ot  to  defend  the  rights  of  his  country,  but  to 
aid  suflFering  humanity,  or,  to  use  his  own  appropri- 
ate words,  '  to  reHeve  shipwrecked  seamen.' " 

But  Perry  dismissed  the  whole  subject  from  his 
mind,  and,  like  the  simple  and  grave  character  that 
he  was,  regarded  it  merely  as  an  incident. 

Weeks  went  by,  and  he  grew  more  and  more  im- 
patient for  the  sailing  orders  to  come  that  would 
dispatch  him  and  his  fine  vessel  to  European  waters. 
The  crew  were  the  pick  of  the  service,  and  the  vessel, 
he  knew,  was  second  to  none  of  her  class  in  all  the 
world. 


i 


'$   » 


i  ^ 


i  I 


>.;-  M^,«„-^;'.'c£;;:a!^SRCii--..^-  - 


r-,-^"^>i 


-*>- 


CHAPTER  XVI. 


THE   BITTER   END 


During  the  early  months  of  i8i5-'i6  the  Ameri- 
can flag  was  shown  in  the  Mediterranean  flying  from 
the  masts  of  the  largest  and  most  powerful  fleets  that 
the  new  country  had  ever  sent  out.  Decatur,  in  April 
of  the  year  1815,  had  sailed  from  New  York  with  a 
squadron  consisting  of  the  Guerriere,  Constellation, 
and  Macedonian,  frigates;  the  Ontario  and  Epervier, 
sloops  of  war;  and  the  schooners  Flambeau,  Spark, 
Spitfire,  and  Torch.  Shortly  afterward  this  squadron 
was  followed  by  another  under  Commodore  Bain- 
bridge,  who  upon  his  arrival  superseded  Decatur  in 
supreme  command. 

There  was  a  reason  for  all  this  display  of  force, 
for  the  Barbary  states  of  Tunis  and  Algiers  had  once 
more  given  evidence  of  evil  intentions.  Probably  they 
thought  that,  after  having  had  a  war  with  so  power- 
ful a  nation  as  Great  Britain,  the  United  States  would 
have  no  war  vessels  left  to  defend  her  merchant  ships, 
and  probably  their  turbaned  high  mightinesses  con- 
cluded that  the  chance  was  too  good  to  be  missed. 

At  any  rate  they  both  started  upon  the  rampage,  and 
156 


I 


^rngsum 


i^ifiiinNM 


'■  t.ni ••-.*">> .-    mf  f-^-' 


■'  •fti^.XV''  =*" 


le  Amen- 
ding from 
leets  that 
,  in  April 
k  with  a 
stellation, 
Epervier, 
u,   Spark, 
squadron 
)re    Bain- 
ecatur  in 

of  force, 
had  once 
ably  they 
io  power- 
:e.s  would 
mt  ships, 
3ses  con- 
i  missed. 
)age,  and 


C().MM()i)..RK,  OLIVER    HAZARD    PF.RRY,   U.S.N. 

i^h'rom  Freeman^s  engraving  of  the  paintinf^  ^y  J*  ^^'*  Jit^vis.') 


.  r 


Ei 


■UPMIM 


THE  BITTER  END. 


»57 


were  more  than  mightily  surprised  when  the  Ameri- 
can squadron,  headed  by  the  seventy-four  Independ- 
ence, arrived  off  their  respective  capitals  and  threat- 
ened punishment;  and  they  came  down  from  their 
attitude  in  short  order,  after  having  had  one  or  two 
little  actions,  and  from  that  day  forward  the  United 
States  paid  no  tribute  to  the  Algerian  pirates,  and 
a  citizen  of  that  country  was  as  safe  in  Tunis  or 
Tripoli  or  Algiers  as  he  would  be  upon  the  streets  of 
Philadelphia. 

So  much  for  the  influence  of  sea  power  properly 
displayed. 

The  Dey  of  Algiers  was  said  to  have  remarked  to 
the  British  consul  at  that  port: 

"  You  told  us  that  the  American  navy  would  be 
destroyed  in  six  months  by  you,  and  now  they  make 
war  upon  us  with  two  of  your  own  vessels  that  they 
have  taken  from  you." 

What  the  British  officer  replied  to  this  is  not  on 
record. 

Perry  had  longed  to  accompany  these  expeditions, 
and  it  was  to  enforce  the  effect  that  they  had  made 
that  Commodore  Chauncey  was  dispatched,  in  March, 
1816,  to  the  same  waters.  The  Java  sailed  out  later 
and  joined  the  squadron  at  Port  Mahon.  She  car- 
ried with  her  the  ratified  treaty  that  had  been  drawn 
up  between  Algiers  and  this  country. 

Again  the  dey  attempted  to  cut  up  rough,  and 


g3i^?s4i^ft&*g*Efest?^;al^"„'g'jtg|^ 


^ 


IP 


ft 


life 


iS8 


THE  HERO   OF  ERIE. 


denied  that  he  had  sanctioned  the  treaty  (his  own 
seal  and  signature  were  there  appended);  but  when 
Chauncey  sailed  into  the  harbor  he  changed  his  mind 
again,  and  concluded  that  it  was  best  for  him  to  stop 
his  foolishness. 

And  now  we  come  to  a  chapter  in  the  life  of  Com- 
modore Perry  that  deals  with  an  entirely  personal  side 
of  his  history  and  character,  and  is  yet  of  such  inter- 
est that  the  public  has  a  claim  on  it. 

It  happened,  alas!  that  on  board  the  Java  at  this 
time  there  was  a  Captain  John  Heath,  who  com- 
manded the  marines  on  the  vessel.  What  sort  of  a 
man  he  was  we  can  only  judge  by  his  actions.  It  is 
true  he  found  some  supporters  for  his  methods  and 
doings,  but  we  have  only  to  take  from  the  records 
of  the  investigation  and  court-martial  that  followed 
the  facts  to  be  related,  and  these  are  simply  that  Com- 
modore Perry,  provoked  and  incensed  by  what  he 
considered  insulting  conduct  of  an  inferior  officer, 
raised  his  hand  against  a  man  dressed  in  the  uniform 
of  an  officer  in  the  service  of  the  nation. 

With  great  frankness  and  directness  he  himself 
related  the  incident  in  a  letter  to  Commodore  Chaun- 
cey, then  commanding  the  squadron.  As  it  gives  a 
history  of  the  quarrel  and  explains  Perry's  position, 
at  the  same  time  giving  further  insight  into  his 
character,  we  publish  it  here  just  as  it  came  from 
his  pen: 


•fe 


lis  own 

t  when 

lis  mind 

to  stop 

of  Com- 

3nal  side 

h  inter- 

i  at  this 

lo   com- 

ort  of  a 

is.     It  is 

lods  and 

I  records 

followed 

lat  Com- 

what   he 

■   officer, 

uniform 

himself 
!  Chaun- 

gives  a 
position, 
into  his 
ne  from 


THE   BITTER  END. 


»S9 


"  United  States  Ship  Java,  Tunis  Bay,  Octobtr  8,  t8i6. 

"  Sir:  I  am  under  the  painful  necessity  of  inform- 
ing you  of  a  circumstance  and  of  detailing  to  you  the 
causes  which  led  to  an  event  of  a  very  unpleasant 
nature. 

"  The  apparent  violation  of  the  laws  of  my  coun- 
try which  may  be  imputed  to  me,  in  having  offered 
personal  violence  to  the  captain  of  the  marine  guard 
of  this  ship,  I  trust  will  be  in  a  great  measure  extenu- 
ated by  the  consideration  that,  although  I  do  not 
absolutely  defend  this  mode  of  redress,  yet  I  insist 
the  consequences  were  produced  by  a  sufficient  provo- 
cation. 

"  The  general  deportment  of  Captain  Heath  to- 
ward me,  so  contrary  to  the  usual  address  of  my  offi- 
cers, and,  moreover,  his  marked  insolence  to  me  in 
many  instances,  induced  me  to  believe  that  his  con- 
duct proceeded  from  a  premeditated  determination 
to  insult  me  on  every  occasion. 

"  His  palpable  neglect  of  duty  on  several  impor- 
tant emergencies,  together  with  the  usual  indolence 
and  inattention  to  the  calls  of  his  office,  made  it  a  de- 
sirable object  with  me  to  solicit  his  removal  the  first 
convenient  opportunity,  not  only  to  obtain  a  more 
active  and  vigilant  officer,  but  to  save  him  the  rigor- 
ous severity  of  a  court-martial. 

"  I  now,  sir,  narrate  to  you  the  circumstances 
which  have  thus  compelled  me  to  address  you. 


1 


**WWS^^Hlwrf'^.i**r^'»«»-*^vV«-^'-'i'^ikr^^ 


^ 


—  :A-i.H.o^x.Ji!ifli^,.'j!iv.,  «=-''Gii^-,  .^r>.»  ;j„J■^i■;.^■-,■'■e.?,■:'i^>-./;.^- 


i6o 


THE  HERO  OF  ERIE. 


"  On  the  evening  of  the  i6th  of  September  last, 
while  this  ship  lay  at  anchor  in  the  harbor  of  I,Ies- 
sina,  two  of  her  marines  deserted  by  jumping  over- 
board and  swimmin^^  on  shore.  Informed  of  the  fact, 
Captain  Heath,  as  their  commanding  officer,  was  im- 
mediately sent  for  and  acquaii<ied  therewith;  hxii  he 
refused  io  go  on  deck,  alleging  as  a  reason  therefor 
the  subterfuge  of  indisposition.  I  then  repeated  the 
order  for  him  to  come  on  deck  anc*  muster  the  ma- 
rines. This  duty  he  executed  in  so  careless  and  in- 
different a  manner,  and  at  the  same  time  neglected 
t-  report  to  me  until  called  by  me  and  requested  so 
to  do  that  (conscious  that  such  an  occasion  ought 
to  animate  the  most  careless  and  inattentive  officer 
to  ».ccision  and  promptitude)  I  was  induced,  from 
such  a  manifest  neglect  of  duty,  to  say  to  him  '  that 
he  might  go  beiov/,  and  shoult"  do  no  more  duty  on 
board  the  Java.' 

"  On  tht  evening  of  the  iSth  of  September  he 
addressed  to  me  a  letter,  wrif:+en  by  himself,  which  he 
caused  to  be  laid  on  the  table  in  the  cabin,  and  which 
I  received  at  a  very  late  hour.  This  letter  being 
couched  in  language  which  I  deemed  indecorous  and 
disrespectful,  I  sent  for  him  and  demanded  why  he 
had  selected  a  time  so  obviously  improper.  He  im- 
mediately assumed  a  manner  so  highly  irritating  and 
contemptuous  that  I  believed  it  my  duty  to  arrest 
him  (after  having  expressed  to  him  my  indignation  at 


am 


jiiawiiiij  1111*1 


II   iii|JilB'W-^JPIWIff"«'WIWipWWi!<W!^^ 


iber  kst, 
of  I.Ies- 
ing  over- 
the  fact, 
was  im- 
j;  but:  he 
I  therefor 
eated  the 
the  ma- 
s  and  in- 
neglected 
uested  so 
on  ought 
ve  officer 
ced,   from 
him  '  that 
2  duty  on 

ember  he 
which  he 
Lnd  which 
ter  being 
)rous  and 
I  whj'  he 
He  im- 
iting  and 
to  arrest 
nation  at 


THE  BITTER  END. 


i6i 


such  conduct),  and  for  this  purpose  sent  for  the  second 
marine  officer,  ?t  the  same  time  ordermg  him  to  be 
silent.  In  utter  disregard  of  this  order,  though  re- 
peatedly warned  of  the  consequences  of  his  disobedi- 
ence, he  persevered  in  the  same  irritating  tone  and 
manner  until  at  length,  after  reiterating  attempts  to 
effect  his  silence,  I  gave  him  a  blow.  Frequent  out- 
rage added  to  frequent  insult  provoked  this  disagree- 
able consequence. 

"  Mortified  that  I  should  so  far  forget  myself  as 
to  raise  my  arm  against  any  officer  holding  a  com- 
mission in  the  service  of  the  United  States,  however 
impropei  his  conduct  might  have  been  and  however 
just  the  cause,  I  immediately,  in  conformity  to  this 
principle,  oflfcred  to  make  such  an  apology  as  should 
be  proper  for  both.  This  proposal  was  refused,  which 
precluded  the  necessity  of  any  furthe-  overtures.  The 
offer  was  consonant  to  the  views  of  some  of  the  most 
distinguished  officers  of  the  squadron  after  their 
being  made  fully  acquainted  with  every  particular. 

"  From  my  having  been  educated  in  the  strictest 
discipline  of  the  navy — ^in  which  respect  and  obedience 
to  a  superior  was  instilled  into  my  mind  as  a  funda- 
mental and  leading  principle — and  from  a  natural  dis- 
position to  chastise  insolence  and  impertinence  im- 
mediately when  oflFered  me,  even  in  private  life,  must 
be  inferred  the  burst  of  indignant  feeling  which 
prompted  me  to  inflict  personal  satisfaction  en  an 


^M 


it^JJtWWH^'^' 


- Y I'lil'  iii'i'iAlfttiAiii'liii niiiii 


76* 


THE   HERO  OF  ERIE. 


officer  who  thus  daringly  outraged  the  vital  interests 
of  the  service  in  my  own  person. 

"  I  have  thus  gone  through  this  unpleasant  re- 
cital with  as  much  candor  and  conciseness  as  possible. 
I  might,  indeed,  detail  to  you  other  acts  of  delin- 
quency in  this  officer,  but  I  will  not  further  weary  you 
with  the  circumstances  of  this  unfortunate  affair,  but 
confine  myself  to  the  request  that  you  will  be  pleased 
to  order  a  court  of  inquiry  or  court-martial,  as 
you  may  see  fit,  to  examine  into  the  causes  which 
led   to   this   seeming   infraction  of   the  laws   of   the 

n^vy. 

"  After  eighteen  years  of  important  and  arduous 
services  in  the  cause  of  my  country,  it  can  hardly  be 
imagined  that  I  have  any  disposition  to  infringe  that 
discipline,  which  is  the  pride  and  ornament  of  the 
navy;  and  to  prevent  any  intention  being  falsely  as- 
cribed to  me,  I  beg  you  will  give  immediate  attention 
to  this  quest,  that  the  navy,  as  well  as  my  country, 
shall  be  satisfied  of  the  integrity  of  my  motives. 
I  have  the  honor  to  be,  sir, 
"  Very  respectfully,  your  obedient  servant, 


[Signed] 


O.  H.  Perry. 


To  Isaac  Chauncky,  Esq.,  Commodore,  etc." 


Now  it  is  not  the  intention  here  to  indulge  in 
explanations  or  excuses.  All  we  can  say  is  that 
Perry's  conduct  after  the  aflfair  was  such  as  only  to 


ii 


mmimmm^tm'^m 


"•ii.uujjmm* 


V-'.»W 


THE  BTTTER  END. 


163 


itere£,ts 


increase  the  love  and  respect  of  his  countrymen,  and 
can  not  fail  to  arouse  in  our  minds  to-day  the  same 
sentiments.  A  court-martial  censured  both  officers, 
and  Perry  accepted  the  verdict  without  comment. 

He  promptly  offered  to  make  an  honorable  apol- 
ogy to  Captain  Heath,  and  subn-tted  this  in  writing 
to  him;  but  Heath  refused  to  .  pc  it  under  any 
circumstances. 

Dueling,  unfortunately,  was  common  in  those 
days  in  almost  every  branch  of  military  service,  and 
there  were  few  men  who  escaped  at  some  time  dur- 
ing their  lives  having  the  disagreeable  necessity  of 
looking  into  the  eyes  01  another  man,  who  may  pre- 
viously have  been  a  friend  and  comrade,  over  the 
notched  sights  of  a  pistol. 

Heath  was  bound  to  call  Pen7'  out  if  such  a  thing 
were  possible,  and  he  neglected  no  opportunities  to 
let  this  fact  be  known. 

Perry  had  returned  to  Newport  in  March,  181 7, 
and  there,  in  connection  with  Commodore  Bain- 
bridge  and  Captain  Evans,  he  was  kept  busy  for  some 
months  surveying  the  harbor  and  making  arrange- 
ments for  placing  a  naval  station,  depot,  and  dock- 
yard. In  July  he  had  retired  from  the  command  of 
the  Java,  upon  v/hich  occasion  there  was  a  ceremony 
that  must  have  touched  him  deeply,  for  the  officers 
of  the  ship  presented  him  with  a  testimonial  of  their 
affection  and  respect. 


J. 


\  'i 


'''i 


M  i 


If; 


iiiiiiiirit iMfi*rriiV  i  i'i'h  'f''^miiiAm'i 


THE   HERO  OF  ERIE. 


Everything  went  well  and  happily  till  the  follow- 
ing year,  when  Captain  Heath,  who  had  come  over 
to  this  country,  appeared  in  Rhode  Island,  claiming 
and  demanding  honorable  satisfaction  for  the  injury 
he  had  received  in  the  Mediterranean,  Perry  thought 
for  a  long  time  over  the  matter,  and  came  at  last  to 
the  conclusion  that,  under  the  code,  if  Captain  Heath 
would  not  accept  an  apology,  he  was  in  honor  bound 
to  meet  him.  The  State  authorities,  however,  had 
got  wind  of  the  aflfair,  and  took  steps  to  mtervene  and 
prevent  the  meeting.  So  Perry,  who  was  apparently 
anxious  to  oblige  Captain  Heath,  even  against  his 
own  will,  agreed  to  go  on  to  Washington  on  the  loth 
of  October  and  give  him  the  satisfaction  he  wished. 

He  had  v.ritten  a  long  letter  asking  Commodore 
Decatur  to  be  his  second  in  the  aflfair,  and  the  latter 
had  accepted  immediately.  Alas,  poor  Decatur!  He 
was  soon  to  fall  before  an  adversary's  bullet  in  a  use- 
less duel,  as  all  duels  most  probably  were. 

Befors  the  meeting  took  place  Perry  wrote  the 
following  letter,  had  it  signed  by  Decatur  and  his 
other  friends,  and  insisted  upon  Heath's  seconds  sign- 
ing it  also.    It  is  quoted  here  verbatim: 


"  Captain  Perry  desires  it  to  be  explicitly  under- 
stood that,  in  according  to  Captain  Heath  the  per- 
sonal satisfaction  he  had  demanded,  he  has  been  in- 
fluenced by  a  sense  of  what  he  considers  due  from 


MHi 


""•II»IIHIIIWl»"«p«~™n- 


T 


THE  BITTER  END. 


t^ 


him  as  an  atonement  to  the  violated  rules  of  the  serv- 
ice, and  not  by  any  considerations  of  the  claims  which 
Captain  Heath  may  have  for  making  such  a  demand, 
which  he  totally  denies,  as  S".ch  claims  have  been  for- 
feited by  the  measures  of  a  public,  -haracter  v/hich 
Captain  Heath  has  adopted  towi.;;.  .iim.  If,  there- 
fore, the  civil  authority  should  produce  an  impossibil- 
ity of  meeting  at  the  time  and  place  designed,  which 
he  will  take  every  precaution  to  prevent,  h?  will  con- 
sider himself  absolutely  exonerated  from  any  responsi- 
bility to  Captain  Heath  touching  their  present  cause 
of  difference." 

One  fine  fall  day — the  19th  cf  October,  to  be  more 
exact — a  little  party  of  eight  persons  descended  from 
two  coaches  that  drove  into  a  wood  road  that  ran 
through  a  little  forest  on  the  Jersey  shore  of  the  Hud- 
son. Two  of  the  men  carried  small  mahogany  boxes, 
and  when  a  clearing  was  reached  the  errand  of  the 
party  was  easily  seen. 

Two  of  the  men  strolled  off  to  one  side;  they 
both  were  young,  in  the  very  heyday  of  manhood. 

"  I  have  firmly  made  up  my  mind  upon  this  sub- 
ject," said  one,  speaking  in  a  low  tone  of  voice.  "  I 
have  no  animosity  toward  the  fellow  at  all.  It  is  just 
an  atonement  that  I  make  for  an  infringement  of  the 
regulations  and  etiquette  of  the  service." 

"  Do  as  you  think  best,"  returned  the  other,  "  but 


w  -f 


<6    'S 
■'  ,i 

;  ^ 

-J 


inli'  ml  "II    I    iiliii 


(   • 


te?- 


m 


THE   HERO  OF  ERIE. 


it  is  against  my  wishes  and  advice.  It  is  quixotic, 
and  you  run  great  risks.    My  advice  is  to  wing  him." 

Suddenly  a  voice  broke  in: 

"  Are  you  ready,  gentlemen?  "  and  then  two  men 
faced  one  another  but  a  short  distance  apart,  pistols 
hanging  in  their  right  hands,  for  it  was  agreed  at  the 
word  "  three  "  they  would  raise  and  fire,  instead  of 
dropping  into  the  position. 

"One,^two,  three!"  counted  one  of  the  seconds. 

There  came  but  a  single  shot,  and  that  from  Cap- 
tain Heath's  pistol,  that  was  smoking  in  his  hand. 

Perry  stood  there  silent  and  motionless.  He  was 
unhurt,  and  had  not  moved  a  finger  to  lift  his  weapon. 
He  had  made  his  atonement. 

"Are  you  satisfied?"  he  asked  Captain  Heath 
politely, 

"  I  am,  sir,"  was  the  captain's  return. 

Perry  handed  the  unused  pistol  to  one  of  the  sec- 
onds, and  taking  Decatur's  arm  hastened  to  one  of 
the  carriages.  Hie  conduct  was  yist  what  might  have 
been  expected  from  such  a  high-hearted  and  noble- 
minded  man,  and  that  he  escaped  injury  and  that  a 
tragedy  was  averted  became  reasons  for  great  rejoic- 
ing everywhere. 

During  the  year  1819  pirates  swatined  and  infested 
the  waters  of  the  Caribbean  Sea,  and  Commodore 
Perry  was  sent  there  in  the  old  frigate  John  Adams, 
in  company  with  the  None  Such,  in  order  to  put  a 


:t%' 


'.  .>'*^« 


'-ttm- 


iijii    .,,!■. im.iM  .imiji  iii.yiiii  J!iWI4i^!j»,jit,y;,i|Jj|BMyf_u.{!'jlj|l» 


THE  BITTER  END 


ttf7 


fixotic, 
him." 

^o  men 


J.' 

11. 


m 


stop  to  the  piracy,  and  to  make  official  visits  to  the 
West  Indian  governors  and  to  the  north  shores  of 
South  America. 

Yellow  fever  was  rife  all  along  the  coast,  and  while 
ashore  at  Venezuela  the  young  commodore  was  sub- 
ject to  contagion  and  contracted  the  disease.  He 
was  lakcn  aboard  his  ship,  with  the  fond  hope  that  he 
might  recovei  at  sea,  but  on  the  23d  of  August  (which, 
by  the  way,  wac  his  birthday)  he  died  on  shipboard, 
just  as  his  vessel  was  entering  the  port  of  Spain  on 
the  island  of  Trinidad.  There  he  was  buried  with  full 
military  honors,  and  seventeen  years  afterward  his 
remains  were  brought  back  to  his  native  town,  and 
there  they  rest  under  a  granite  monument  on  the  hill 
looking  down  over  the  waters. 

His  example  left  a  deep  imprint  upon  the  minds 
of  his  brother  officers  in  the  service,  and  his  loss  was 
mourned  by  a  whole  country,  and  by  a  devoted  wife 
and  four  children  who  survived  him.  He  was  but 
thirty-four  when  he  gave  up  his  final  command,  but 
his  life  had  been  filled  with  fine  things  finely  done, 
and  was  rounded  to  completion  at  an  age  when  most 
men  are  entering  into  the  fullness  of  their  powers. 


THF   END. 


.'■<«  ■ 


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